A central public sector undertaking has given an endowment of Rs 20 lakh to the chemistry department of Presidency University, now in the middle of a crippling funds crunch.

The department will purchase infrared spectrometers with the contribution.

The university, which could not provide funds to the department, approached the Power Grid Corporation of India for financial assistance.

The approval came last week, said a Presidency official.

Arnab Haldar, the head of the chemistry department, said the equipment was necessary to effectively run the four-year undergraduate programme launched under the National Education Policy (NEP) last year.

Since students enrolled in the four-year programme need to do research at the undergraduate level, purchasing the latest equipment is a must, Haldar said.

“In July, a proposal was sent to the company (Power Grid Corporation), seeking contributions so we could buy the equipment.”

Presidency registrar Debajyoti Konar said: “The company has donated the funds as part of its corporate social responsibility.”

Presidency and other state-aided universities are banking on endowments because of depleting support from the state and central governments in developing infrastructure and maintenance.

The State Education Policy, unveiled last year, stressed the need for grants from corporate houses, philanthropic institutions and individuals to enhance the financial capacity of educational institutions.