New Delhi: For over two years now, Chennai’s Anna University and Kolkata’s Jadavpur University, the two state government-funded institutions shortlisted by a University Grants Commission panel for ‘Institutes of Eminence’ (IoE) status, have been battling to get the tag.
However, the respective state governments of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are yet to provide the requisite funding of over Rs 1,000 crore to these universities, as stipulated for IoE status by the Ministry of Education. Now, it has emerged that the Tamil Nadu government is not in favour of getting the tag for AU, while the Bengal government and JU are trying to strike a deal with the Centre.
The IoE tag allows private institutions freedom from regulators and greater autonomy, while providing funding to public institutions. The government has so far selected 20 institutions as IoEs. The 10 central government-funded institutions in the list include IITs Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Kharagpur; Delhi University; Banaras Hindu University; University of Hyderabad; and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Among private institutions are BITS Pilani, Manipal Academy of Higher Education and the Jio Institute, which hasn’t started functioning yet.
In 2018, an empowered expert committee (EEC) constituted by the UGC to shortlist 20 institutions chose AU and JU for the IoE tag. But the central government had put the decision on hold. The next year, the Ministry of Education (then called HRD ministry) had said in an official statement to the media: “(The) state governments have been asked to indicate their commitment towards their contribution under the IoE scheme.”
The issue of the grant of over Rs 1,000 crore had become a point of raging debate between the Centre and these states.
ThePrint reached the Ministry of Education for a comment on the issues highlighted in this report through calls, text messages and emails to the government’s PR arm Press Information Bureau, but did not receive a response till the time of publication.
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The case of AU
Earlier this month, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said Anna University had applied for IoE status in 2017, but the Tamil Nadu government withdrew its earlier proposal for grant of the status on 29 October 2020.
He told Parliament in response to a question on 8 March: “Anna University had applied for grant of status of Institution of Eminence in the Public Category as per the UGC (Declaration of Government Educational Institutions as Institutions of Eminence) Guidelines, 2017 on 07.12.2017. However, the state government vide its letter dated 29.10.2020 had communicated its decision of withdrawing its earlier proposal submitted for grant of IoE status.”
According to an Indian Express report, a letter has been sent by the Centre to the Tamil Nadu government, asking it to grant Rs 1,750 crore to Anna University.
A senior official in the Tamil Nadu education told ThePrint: “The state government decided to take the proposal back due to the huge costs that the state would have to incur. The pandemic brought an unprecedented financial crisis, (and) this was the main reason for the withdrawal.”
The official added: “In addition to this, the IoE guidelines say the university would need to hire more teachers, and their pensions and upkeep would have been a cost the state government would have had to bear.”
Another point that led to differences was the Centre’s provision of 49.5 per cent reservation as opposed to the 69 per cent reservation policy followed by Tamil Nadu government. Highlighting this, Tamil Nadu’s Higher Education Minister K.P. Anbalagan had said in a press statement in October 2020 that he rejected the IoE tag because it could have affected the state’s reservation rules.
AU vice-chancellor M.K. Surappa, who stands accused of misappropriation of funds, has been locked in a legal battle with the state since early 2020. While an inquiry committee was formed to look into the matter, he has in his defence alleged that the state government was unhappy with him because he was working for the IoE tag.
A petition filed on behalf of Surappa in the Madras High Court said: “He had begun taking steps for obtaining IoE status in June 2020 because it would bring to Anna University a grant of Rs 1,000 crore, as against the present annual grant of Rs 40 crore, over a period of five years and that money could be spent on research. The status would also give more autonomy to the varsity and the freedom to determine fees, course structure and governance.”
Speaking to ThePrint, Surappa said: “This is a golden opportunity for Anna University that the state government has lost. This decision makes the state government look short-sighted.”
He added: “The funds would have increased the scope for research and innovation in Anna University. As for the grant money the state government was supposed to give, AU has enough grants to have aided the state government in reducing the amount required. Availability of funds was never an issue.”
On the issue of reservation raised by the state government, Surappa said: “We tried very hard to convince the state government that the existing 69 per cent reservation will not be affected by the IoE tag. The ministry itself also gave assurance for this, but to no avail.”
The case of JU
Kolkata’s Jadavpur University’s case is different. The university told the ministry it would need Rs 3,000 crore over five years to match IoE criteria, and the ministry in turn told the West Bengal government that it would have to provide about Rs 2,000 crore, since the Centre would give grants up to 50-75 per cent of the total requirement, to a maximum of Rs 1,000 crore. This is something the state government can’t afford, despite pushing for the IoE tag for JU.
Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das informed ThePrint that the university had sent the Centre a revised proposal, and it was working in tandem with the West Bengal government to resolve the issue.
“In our initial understanding, there was no pre-condition for any state government to contribute towards the Rs 1,000 crore for the IoE tag. However, subsequently, the JU sent a revised proposal to the Ministry of Education, reducing the budget to Rs 700+ crore, and offered to raise the required 25 per cent of the sum on its own,” Das said.
“The proposal was sent with the state government’s endorsement and support, and we are awaiting the Ministry of Education’s response. Obviously, it is not fair that the state government spends so much for one university only; there are other educational institutes in the state as well,” he added.
(Edited by Shreyas Sharma)
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Authorities at Anna University have been found to be indulging in corrupt practices. The registrar and other senior officials were involved in gross abuse of their offices and profited from indulging in illegal activities. The Centre must not give the coveted IoE tag to such an institution. The thousands of crores meant for research will end up in the pockets of a few unscrupulous individuals.
As for JU, it is indeed a travesty that the West Bengal govt is refusing to pay its share of the amount. JU carries immense prestige across the nation and could have initiated new courses and research initiatives with the funds, if sanctioned.