Maha idea ‘outrages’ V-Cs
Hemali Chhapia, The Times of India
January 5, 2008

The state plan to ask universities to plough back their reserves into the state kitty surfaced in a closeddoor interaction held by governor S M Krishna in which he met vice-chancellors of all state universities. CM V Deshmukh, higher and technical education minister Dilip Walse-Patil and minister of state for higher education Suresh Shetty were also present.

University reserves largely comprise alumni and industry contributions, consultancy projects that faculty members undertake, developmental fees that students shell out and aid that comes in from central government and other funding agencies. At Friday’s meeting, heads of the varsities were told that the government wanted to set up a central fund with varsities’ reserves. The government’s agenda is equitable distribution from that fund to all the 19 state universities for “equal development’’, said officials of the Raj Bhavan.

However, a section of V-C’s who were “outraged’’ by this proposal said it would “drastically hamper the development of universities’’. Presently, varsities get salary and nonsalary grants from the state government, and nothing flows in in the form of development funds. So the more prominent varsities are dependent on the contributions they attract to promote research and improve infrastructure.

“We try and attract foreign students and encourage our faculty members to take up industry consultancy to build reserves, but if we can’t use the money for campus development or incentivising our professors, why should we go that extra mile?’’ asked a V-C.

“We are soon going to have foreign universities; where will we get the funds to create a competitive edge if we are stripped of our reserves?’’ another V-C asked. Dilip Walse-Patil defended the plan saying there were some universities with surplus reserves and some who were dry financially. “A committee under my chairmanship will devise a mechanism for spending these reserves across universities,’’ Walse-Patil said.