The State Government has allotted one sixth of the total budget for the year 2010-2011 for the development of education, said S. S. Palani Manickam, Union Minister of State for Finance at Orathanadu, near here, on Tuesday.
He inaugurated a building for the Constituency Women's College of the Bharathidasan University. He said that a sum of Rs. 1,750 crore has been allotted for higher education and Rs. 10,148 crore for school education in the Budget. This showed the commitment of the Government to providing education.
The building has come up at a cost of Rs. 3.05 crore allotted by the minister from his Local Area Development Fund for MPs on 2,910 square metres.
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The building has 11 class rooms, three laboratories, two staff rooms, electricity room and toilet facilities. The minister has also allotted Rs. 48 lakh for constructing a compound wall for the college.
More facilities have to be provided like hostel building, playground, auditorium, additional class room buildings etc. These would be done step by step, he said.
The college is like a "dream come true for me", the Minister said. It was established only to help rural girl students. They can now boast of getting quality education from a good college, the minister said. Thirty five acres have been allotted by the Government for the college.
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M. Ponnavaikko, Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, said that the University had introduced a four-year bachelor degree course called B.S. which will help students to pursue their higher studies in foreign countries. This is introduced from this academic year in the University and out of them three courses, ie., B.S.computer science, B.S.Biotechnology and B.S.Geotechnology would be started in Orathanadu college.
Twenty five per cent fee concession would also be given to the students of this college. The college which was started with four subjects and six teachers is now having 13 degree subjects and four post graduate courses with 80 teachers. A sum of Rs. 2.6 crore has been allotted for construction of first floor and other buildings. Out of this amount, the State Government has given Rs. 1.3 crore and Bharathidasan University Rs. 1.3 crore.
Durai Chandrasekaran and Mahesh Krishnaswamy, MLAs, M.Karunakaran, Collector (in-charge), T. Ramasamy, Registrar of Bharathidasan University, Selvi Sivagnanam, Chairperson of Thanjavur District Panchayat Council, participated.