The Hindu : Varsity loses Rs. 54 lakhs UGC aid

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 24, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Varsity loses Rs. 54 lakhs UGC aid

By G. Mahadevan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Dec. 23. Even as the University of Kerala is slated to get around Rs.4 crores as the Tenth Plan grant from the University Grants Commission, the University has lost Rs. 54 lakhs due to it as part of the Ninth Plan on account of shoddy auditing procedures.

The university was to have received Rs. 2.7 crores as UGC funds for the Ninth Plan. This was to have been given as 10 instalments of Rs. 27 lakhs each. After the eighth instalment, however, the UGC asked the university to provide a utilisation certificate for the funds given thus far. The university, even after repeated reminders from the UGC, failed to draw up such a certificate.

According to sources in the Kerala University, there could not have been such a certificate as the university had not conducted any audit for the money received from the UGC. After the eighth instalment was given, the university should have spent Rs. 2.16 crores. However, sources say the university_ even by liberal estimates_ has records for only about Rs. 1.8 crores. Even top university officials reportedly have no idea how the rest, Rs. 26 lakhs, was spent. Even though a statement signed by the university's finance officer stating that UGC funds had been fully utilised was sent to the UGC, the Commission rejected it and asked for a statement that was attested by Government auditors.

During the Ninth Plan, the university was allocated four lecturer posts by the UGC. Of this, it managed to fill only three. The remaining post in the department of Bio-technology, was not filled, even though meetings of the selection committee were called many a time. As the UGC had allocated Rs. 7 lakhs for each of the lecturer post, the university also lost Rs. 7 lakhs for the post that was not filled. Sources say that the UGC team during its recent visit to discuss the Tenth Plan, refused to entertain any requests from the university for more teaching posts and expressed disappointment over the lack of timely auditing procedures.

University sources say this situation is as much the result of lack of timely auditing as the poor performance of the varsity's Planning Department, which is supposed to coordinate and plan the spending of UGC funds and the plan fund from the State Government. The department is now functioning without a head, with a deputy registrar holding charge.

The university is expected to get an official notification from the UGC regarding the Tenth Plan fund, shortly.

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