Karnatak University in Dharwad will take some stringent measures to reduce expenditure in order to overcome the financial crunch. As a first step the university has decided to do away with non-teaching staff who have been appointed on temporary basis in the last two years.
Vice-Chancellor H B Walikar who presided over the academic council meeting held on Tuesday at the Golden Jubilee auditorium in the varsity said in the absence of proper funding from the government, the university is facing financial crunch.
It had asked for Rs 47 crore for meeting its requirement and in the first phase it had sought release of Rs 25 crore. “We have met chief minister Jagadish Shettar who also holds the finance portfolio and requested him for the release of funds. He has assured that funds would be released in the next three days.” the VC said.
He said the university had 560 non-teaching employees appointed on regular basis and 599 on temporary basis. “Most of these workers on temporary basis were appointed under recommendation from various persons during the previous regime. Every year 60 persons are employed on temporary basis following recommendation by authorities. The university is burdened to the tune of Rs 40 lakh per month towards payment of salary to these workers. After the establishment of Rani Channamma University, we do not need the services of these temporary workers. Steps will be taken to relieve all such workers appointed in the last two years,” the VC explained.
He also said that he would request the government to take these workers away from the university in case it decides to regularise the services of the workers appointed on temporary basis and post them to some other department or organisation.
The VC said the varsity had received Rs 2.5 crore from the UGC under the 11th five year plan and out of that Rs 50 lakh would be utilised for rejuvenating the defunct swimming pool in the varsity campus and Rs 50 lakh for giving a face lift to the buildings of Kausali Institute of Management Studies. The varsity would reserve Rs 10 crore for development of Haveri PG Centre and Rs 30 crore for improving the PG centre at Karwar. The remaining amount would be distributed to other departments, he said. The varsity is also planing to construct a check dam at a cost of Rs 1.40 crore to get water for swimming pool and construct a small tank at a cost of Rs 60 lakh.
The academic council rejected a proposal sent by the principal of K E Board’s First Grade College in Dharwad to consider providing admission for degree course to the students who have passed PUC II year as private candidates after attaining the age of 18 years. The meeting said the university statute provides for admitting students who have passed 10+2 for the degree course and hence the proposal could not be accepted.
The meeting also decided to set up a sub-committee to study the pros and cons of merging the physical education department with the sports department as suggested by the Association of Indian Universities.