Bansal flays Centre for inadequate grant to PU

Chandigarh, June 22

Former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has flayed the Union Government for the “grossly inadequate” grant to Panjab University for 2017-2018.

He said it was a move to strangle the PU and just another ploy to force the university to increase the fee again. The Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) has agreed to give Rs 207.80 crore to the PU this year against Rs 197.73 crore released for 2016-2017. This has been stated in a letter addressed to the UGC Secretary, a copy of which was sent to the Vice-Chancellor. The Punjab Government has announced in its Budget that it would give Rs 33 crore per year to the PU.

Bansal said, “The ministry has refused to pay for the previous deficit of the university which amounts to Rs 36 crore. The ministry has asked the university to meet the deficit on their own. Clearly, it is an indirect strategy to force the university to increase the fee.”

Further, he also criticised the fact that the ministry has agreed to pay for only 1,516 non-teaching staff members, while the total number of non-teaching staff members is 4,126, thereby, asking the university to generate funds for the rest 2,610 employees. He also said the annual increment of six per cent was injustice to the university. — TNS