Universities to draw individual budget plans

The University Grants Commission (UGC) is all aet to allow the universities funded by it to prepare individual plans to avail Central funds.

Hitherto, the higher education regulator would depute expert committees to assess the financial needs of the varsities.

UGC has asked the vice-chancellors of central universities, deemed to be universities and state universities funded by it, to prepare their respective proposals for the 12th Five Year Plan period and submit it by March 15.

An UGC appointed national committee will scrutinise the proposals before approval, an UGC official told Deccan Herald.

“The decision to discontinue despatching central expert committees follows past experience of invariable delays in communication of financial allocations to the universities by the UGC due to a number of factors like non-availability of experienced hands for expert committees, logistics of organising timely visits to universities and so on,” the official said.

The result of such delays were delayed implementation of programmes and under-utilisation of funds, he said.

“It is hoped that the confidence reposed by the UGC will provide greater autonomy to the universities, besides ensuring objectivity and transparency,” he added