The state government has sanctioned Rs 6 crore to Jadavpur University as additional funds as part of a maintenance grant three weeks after the university wrote to the education department that the reduction in grant has pushed the university “into a situation of scarcity”.
A notification signed by an assistant secretary of the education department on November 22 says: “An amount of Rs 6 crore is hereby sanctioned…. Purpose of grant: Additional fund for other maintenance grants in respect of JU for the period from August to November.”
JU registrar Snehamanju Basu, in a letter to the department on October 28, had pleaded for an increase in funds allocated by the government for non-salary expenditure so the university “can tide over the financial deficits”.
The letter said when the university submitted a claim, for the next four months (August to November 2022), it was cited that in the first four months of the financial year (April to July) a deficit of Rs 6.99 crore was registered.
This happened following a mismatch between the university's requirements and what has been sanctioned by the department.
“We are grateful to the state government because, despite the financial constraints, the government has gone out of the way to help us", said JU vice-chancellor Suranjan Das.
Das in a letter to the state government in early September pointed out that the government has reduced grants in the 2022-23 financial year by about Rs 7.50 crore, compared to what was sanctioned the previous year.
The university was sanctioned Rs 32 crore in 2021- 22. For 2022-23, Rs 24 crore was sanctioned.
The department on Tuesday made it clear that Rs 6 crore was sanctioned against the budget provision of the financial year 2022-23 (Rs 24 crore).