Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 9: Notwithstanding poor performance of the State in carrying out reforms in the higher education sector, the Project Approval Board of the Union Human Resources Development Ministry has given nod to Rs 114 crore grant for the Jammu and Kashmir for the current financial year with the hope that the State would strictly follow the laid down guidelines.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Project Approval Board of the Ministry has approved Rs 114.105 crore grant for the Higher Education Sector of Jammu and Kashmir under six components for the current financial year. This grant includes Rs 102.694 crore Central Share and Rs 11.411 crore State share.
Under the component of creation of Cluster Universities, the Ministry has sanctioned two Universities-one Cluster University at Jammu with GGM Science College as the Lead College and other Cluster University at Kashmir with Amar Singh College as the Lead College. For both these Cluster Universities, an amount of Rs 36.60 crore has been sanctioned for 2014-15 financial year out of total sanctioned outlay of Rs 110 crore.
However, the Ministry has stressed that the State should submit Detailed Project Report in respect of these universities and made it clear that the funds would be released following compliance to the future commitments vis-à-vis guidelines laid down under Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), sources said.
Under the component of infrastructure grants to the universities, the State had made a proposal for four universities to be supported under this component. However, the PAB has decided to support only two varsities-University of Jammu and University of Kashmir with grant of Rs 20 crore-Rs 10 crore each for the current financial year.
As far as the component of upgradation of existing Degree Colleges to Model Degree Colleges, the State had submitted four proposals but only three proposals vis-à-vis Government Degree College, Shopian, Government Degree College, Samba and Government Degree College Ganderbal amounting to Rs 6 crore at the rate of Rs 2 crore each for current financial year have been approved by the PAB, sources informed.
About the new professional colleges, sources said that the PAB has approved two colleges (one named College of Engineering and Technology, University of Jammu at Kathua and other college named Government College of Engineering and Technology, Ganderbal amounting to Rs 26 crore). “However, the State is required to submit Detailed Project Report in respect of these colleges”, they said while disclosing that Ministry has also put some conditions as far as these two professional colleges are concerned.
According to the sources, the State had made a request for infrastructure grants to 44 colleges but the PAB has decided to support only 22 colleges with Rs 21.77 crore assistance for the current financial year.
“As far as vocationalization of higher education is concerned, the State had proposed assistance for 50 institutions with a total allocation of Rs 15 crore for the plan period—Rs 5 crore for 2014-15, however, the PAB has approved support to 20 colleges amounting to Rs 3.735 crore”, sources said.
They informed that the Ministry has advised the State to come up with specific proposals from the educationally backward Ladakh region. “Moreover, the Ministry has asked the State to fill up the faculty positions which are lying vacant as the State has very poor student-teacher ratio”, sources added.
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