Braving troubled waters, PU reaches ashore

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government will soon release its grant amounting to Rs 20 crore (for the year 2017-18) to Panjab University. Not only this, the university is also likely to get an enhanced grant. In addition, the state government has expressed willingness to pay the deficit after the Centre pays the grant.

Charu Chhibber

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25

The Punjab Government will soon release its grant amounting to Rs 20 crore (for the year 2017-18) to Panjab University. Not only this, the university is also likely to get an enhanced grant. In addition, the state government has expressed willingness to pay the deficit after the Centre pays the grant.

Confirming the same, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said Punjab’s grant would be released on Thursday.

Badal said the decision had been taken keeping in view the Punjab Chief Minister’s concern for the university.

He stated this after a meeting with PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Arun Kumar Grover today. The minister said he had informed the Vice-Chancellor that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was concerned about the current situation of the university and would extend full support. Also present during the meeting were PU Registrar Col (retd) GS Chadha, along with the Finance Secretary, Punjab.

Notably, Punjab’s share constitutes about 10 per cent of the current deficit of PU.

Meanwhile, Professor Grover said the Finance Minister had asked him to attend tomorrow’s meeting with officials of the MHRD in New Delhi. The VC has also been told to submit a report in this regard to the minister on Thursday.

“Badal said the quantum of grant will be decided after the MHRD meeting,” said Professor Grover.

He added that it was clarified during the meeting that the arrears were unlikely to be paid.

Panjab University used to get a grant of Rs 20 crore from the Punjab Government, which was frozen three years ago by the previous government. The university is seeking an enhancement at the rate of 12.5 per cent from the government.

The VC had represented before the Punjab Government to take the actual budget allocation of Rs 20 crore in 2013-14 as base and enhance it at 12.5 per cent annually from there onwards. The rate was fixed as the university’s expenditure has been increasing approximately at a similar rate.