Audit report comes down heavily on Bharathiar University

January 07, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:39 am IST - COIMBATORE:

From appointment of faculty to signing contract with a private agency for distance education courses to purchase of cooker, Bharathiar University has come under criticism from the Local Fund Audit Department. The Department presented the audit report for the 2012-13 financial year, which the University placed before the Senate on December 31, 2014.

In its findings on the agreement the University’s Centre for Participatory Programmes and Centre for Online Programmes had entered into with Ambrosia Centre for Excellence, Bangalore, for conduct of certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, the Department said that the Rs. 66.26 lakh the University had paid as service charge was subject to audit objection.

While entering into a two-year agreement with the Bangalore agency on April 15, 2009, the University had said that it would pay three per cent of the one-time fee of each of the students who enrolled in centres in Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka or Rs. 500, whichever was lower, as service fee.

While renewing the agreement on June 10, 2011, with effect from April 15, 2011, the University had said that it would pay two per cent of total fee the students paid as service charge. This change in payment of service charge had resulted in an additional outgo of Rs. 66.26 lakh.

The Department had also said in the audit report that the University had not shown all files related to the financial transaction to the auditors, had not shown the agreement to the University Syndicate for approval or for ratification after executing the agreement.

Further, it said that if the University were to have floated open tender as per the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tenders Act 1988, it could have reduced the expenditure. And, it had not obtained the State Government’s approval for not following the Act, either.

In the very next topic, the Department had said that to verify the expenditure regarding distribution of books to students under the distance education programme, the University had failed to submit records. And, in the next it said that the University had not returned to the Central Government the scholarship amount meant for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students. The amount in question is Rs. 1.13 lakh.

If that’s not enough, the Department had said that to purchase pressure cooker, five-litre pressure cooker and three-litre tava, the University had paid an exorbitant price. The University had neither obtained the State Government’s permission nor ratification after purchase of the items.

Plus, the University had not floated tenders, as is mandated under rules, and had not obtained quotations from vendors, again mandated under rules. It had also failed to submit the relevant files for scrutiny.

C. Pichaandy, vice-president, Association of University Teachers, said that it was deplorable that the university administration invited one indictment after another. A couple of months ago, it was from the Comptroller and Auditor General. And, now from the Department. The State Government must act on the reports in students’ interest.

Bharathiar University Registrar P.K. Manoharan said that the Department had raised some questions because the institution could not provide the files in time. It would submit the relevant documents to have the observations in the audit report removed.

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