BU proposes hike in fees

Deficit budget of Rs 5.73 crore presented at Academic Council meeting

Presenting a deficit budget of Rs 5.73 crore at a meeting of BU Academic Council here on Wednesday, Vice-Chancellor N Prabhu Dev said that the varsity would have to “shore up its resources” to meet the proposed expenditures.

BU expects total receipts of Rs 210.55 crore whereas the total expenditure is estimated to be Rs 216.28 crore. According to S A Razvi, BU Finance Officer, the deficit of Rs 5.73 crore will have to be “adjusted” through various means,  including cutting some of the expenditures, getting more grants, etc.

Forty per cent or Rs 68.27 crore from BU’s coffers would go towards paying salaries of all teaching and non-teaching staff whose services have been regularised, Razvi added. The university would get funds under six heads of account - General Fund, Capital Project Fund, Research Project Fund, External Services Fund, Employees Provident Fund, and Endowment Fund. BU would get as much as Rs 168.49 crore under the General Fund.

“Meagre” grant

Expressing unhappiness over what he termed a “meagre” grant of Rs 46 crore for BU in the State government’s budget for 2011-12, Dev said there was a shortfall of Rs 22.27 crore. The total expenditure on salaries, honoraria, and lecturers would be Rs 74.81 crore as against the proposed cost of Rs 68.27 crore. 

The budget estimates are not without some feel-good measures. Every PhD student whose annual income is less than Rs 11,600 and who has a BPL ration card will get a monthly scholarship of Rs 5,000 for 10 months. For this, BU will set aside Rs one crore.

Smart card for students

Rupees five lakh would be spent on motorised tricycles for physically challenged postgraduate students.

The smart card and e-governance project would cost BU Rs 1.44 crore. Each UG and PG student will be given a smart card that would have details of their attendance, past performance, marks cards, degree, subject-wise performance, etc. Each card will cost Rs 168.

To improve the university’s research output, the University Scientific Instrumentation Centre (USIC), will be set up.