Promised last year, Punjabi University, Patiala, yet to get over Rs 150-cr grant

Tribune News Service

Ravneet Singh

Patiala, February 24

The state government is yet to honour its announcement of taking over Punjabi University Patiala’s bank overdraft of Rs 150 crore and increasing its monthly grant to Rs 20 crore, announced by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in November last year. As a result, the university has been facing a shortage of funds to an extent that it failed to provide salaries to its employees on time, leading to protests.

CM Charanjit Singh Channi had made the announcement of increasing the university’s grant during his visit to the campus. He had said the state government wanted to elevate the university’s burden. But university officials today said: “We have not received the grants so far. The matter has also been raised with the government. We are hopeful the funds will be transferred soon.”

Past budget expenditures: As per the university’s financial statement passed in the first week of April last year, its expenditure for the current year was estimated at Rs 472.26 crore, of which, as per its estimated earnings throughout the year, it was set to be short of Rs 129.91 crore. Besides, with the government grants for payments of salaries remaining static, the university also failed to pay salaries to its employees (over 3,000 non-teaching and 900 teaching staff) on time who resorted to regular protests.

The university’s income from examination fee has remained almost static throughout the years at Rs 88 to 89 crore, while its tuition fee for various master-level courses also witnessed a fall, from Rs 41.23 crore in 2016-17 to Rs 30.17 crore in 2020-21.

Fall in grants for research: The university’s grant from the UGC (development scheme) for general development, research projects, and other purposes has also plummeted. It had received Rs 24.39 crore from the UGC in 2016-17, which came down to Rs 2.02 crore in 2020-21. The grants from other departments, including the Department of Science and Technology, CSIR, ICSSR and others, also came down with time.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Arvind said: “We are eagerly waiting for the government’s announced grants as it is important for the functioning of the university. The files for both the matters are in process.” About the decrease in grants received from the UGC, he said: “The UGC’s own budget has decreased in the past many years.”

Set to be short of Rs129 cr

As per the university's financial statement passed in April last year, its expenditure for the current year was estimated at Rs472.26 crore, of which, as per its estimated earnings throughout the year, it was set to be short of Rs129.91 crore.

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