The central university status for the Panjab University (PU) seems to have moved an inch closer with the Punjab government reportedly favouring the move albeit with a few conditions attached regarding the institute's management.
Sukhbir Singh Badal, Member Parliament and President, SAD, has mentioned that he will take up the matter with the Chief Minister immediately and will urge him to write to the Central Government in this regard. He was here to plant saplings on Panjab University campus along with Vice-Chancellor, Senior University functionaries and students on Monday.
Badal affirmed that he was in favour of University getting central support but added that his party's sole concern was safeguarding the interests of Punjab and Punjabis.
He shared his concern for the cause of education and informed that the Akali Government was committed to support education and stated, "Right from primary education to higher education, the government had initiated steps to secure financial, infrastructural and quality education," and mentioned that his dream was to make Punjab green and number one in term of over-all development.
While talking to the Pioneer Badal recalled his days as a student of the Panjab University and shared that the environment in university was the best as comparable to other top class universities of the world.
He also emphasized the need for constant updation and upgradation of technology to meet the ever-changing requirements and avowed that colleges in Punjab which are affiliated to Panjab University would continue to remain affiliated to the university. However, this would also mean that the 40 per cent grant, which Panjab University gets from the Punjab government, would also be withdrawn.
It is to be noted that the university gets 60 per cent of its budget deficit from the central government and the rest from Punjab. It must be mentioned here that over the past few years, the Punjab government had frozen its grant to the university at Rs 16 crore instead of 40 per cent of the deficit.
The PU Teachers Association had been demanding the status for the past two months. The central status university will mean higher salaries to teachers and the increase of retirement age from the current 60 years to 65 years. It means that there would be a huge budget for the university. Research students' stand benefited and the cost of forms and prospectuses will be uniform like in other central universities.
Earlier on two occasions, when Punjab Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had visited the university, he was also requested to clear his government's stand on the issue.
Immediately after the centre has announced that there would be two central universities in Punjab, including one world-class university in Amritsar, Badal had categorically stated on the campus that if the central status to PU would mean cutting on one university in Punjab, it would not be acceptable.
However, Pawan Kumar Bansal, local parliamentarian and Minister of State for Finance, had recently said that he had already received a positive feedback from the Punjab Government. He told the Pioneer, "Once Punjab government conveys its formal decision, I will take up the issue in the monsoon session of the Parliament and I am sure that the status would be awarded."
The central university status for PU would imply that the state government's commitment of contributing the 40 per cent share in the university's annual deficit would no longer be applicable and the centre would meet the entire deficit.
--
Your Gateway to Chandigarh, Mohali & Panchkula? Check now at www.ChandigarhPulse.com
Subscribe to ChandigarhPulse Newsletter at http://groups.google.com/group/ChandigarhPulse
No comments:
Post a Comment