The vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University has written to the higher education department urging it to raise the allocation for the 2024-25 academic year as the funds that have been sanctioned are “not sufficient to run the day-to-day expenditure of the university”.

The letter says the department has sanctioned ₹27 crore, but it should have been given at least ₹40 crore.

The August 28 letter says: “There was a grant of ₹31.50 crore in the year 2019-20. If we increase a bare minimum of 5 per cent (in expenditure going by the rate of inflation), the actual allocation under the (budget) head should be ₹40.20 crore for the year 2024-25. However, your good office has allocated an amount of ₹27.05 crore only for the current year.”

Metro has seen the letter, it says: “The yearly allocation under the budget head account... is not sufficient to run the day-to-day expenditure of the university.... Now I would like to request you to increase the allocation under the budget head from ₹27.05 crore to at least ₹40.20 crore for 2024-25.”

The letter was written days after Jadavpur University’s finance officer said in a statement uploaded on the university’s website that the university was facing a “critical financial position” following a deficit in its budget and the general embargo on spending will continue.

The statement said the net deficit in the non-salary head (such as hostel and library expenses) was ₹21.98 crore for the fiscal 2022-23 and ₹19.89 crore for fiscal 2023-24 because of the gap in funds allocated and actual expenses.

While the expenditure stood at ₹56.25 crore and ₹57.40 crore for the fiscal 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively, the university received an allocation of ₹22.09 crore and ₹26 crore from the department in the corresponding fiscal years.

There is “no scope of replenishment in near future”, the statement said.

The restrictions on expenditure were imposed in 2022 and as the fiscal situation has not improved, the restrictions are still in force.

“Since the budget allocation has been increased just by ₹1 crore compared to last year we are starting at a substantial net deficit in the 2024-25 academic year as well,” said a JU official.

“If the allocation is not increased, we will have to cut essential expenditure drastically in heads like lab teaching and departmental research, which is not advisable for an academic institute,” the official added.

Another JU official said the departments have been told that under heads like lab teaching, departmental research and contingencies, only 70 per cent of the budgeted amount can be spent if the annual budget is ₹3 lakh or less.

If the annual budget of a department goes beyond ₹3 lakh, only 60 per cent of what has been fixed can be spent..

“We have been approaching former students for contributions to tide over the financial constraints. But a substantial support can only come from the state government,” said a JU official.

Calls and text messages to vice-chancellor Bhaskar Gupta went unanswered on Friday.