Andhra University is in a dilemma over spending the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan-II (RUSA-II) funds, as the deadline is fast approaching.
The university was sanctioned ₹100 crore under RUSA-II, and it has already received the first instalment of ₹41 crore.
The fund was approved three years ago and the first instalment was granted seven months ago. Now, the university has only around seven months to utilise the funds, as per the Detailed Project Report (DPR) which was submitted and subsequently approved.
“If we do not utilise the funds within the next seven months, we will have to return the entire money back to the Union Government and at the same time we also cannot deviate from the DPR,” said AU Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.V.G.D. Prasada Reddy.
The fund was sanctioned three years ago and if the funds were given earlier, then we would have got sufficient time to utilise the funds. Now, we will have to do it in a hurry as the deadline is approaching. Moreover, if the funds were given earlier, we would have been prepared for the second instalment by now,” he said.
It is learnt that the State Government has established a special cell to oversee the proper and quick utilisation of the fund while a commissioner has been appointed to monitor it on a daily basis.
MBA college
On what are the projects that are being covered by the RUSA funds, Prof. Prasada Reddy said that the international MBA college is being set-up with it.
The MBA college is coming up at the new commerce and management block on 40,000 sft and Rs. 5 crore has been earmarked for its renovation and development. The classrooms are being designed on the lines of ISB, he said.
The course will have an intake of 60 students and of them 45 are international students and admission is over for this year, and classes are expected to start from November.
An exclusive hostel for international students is coming up near the international students hostel block, at a cost of ₹2 crore.
Even professors will be recruited exclusively for this course and we are trying to rope in a few teachers from premier institutes and ₹8 crore have been earmarked for their salary component, said Prof. Prasada Reddy.
The course is designed to be a five-year integrated course BBA+MBA, with exit option after three years, and the course is planned in tune with the new National Education Policy.
“It is a joint programme of AU and IIM-Visakhapatnam. IIM-V will be the mentor for the first three years,” said the V-C.
Scientific Labs
With the RUSA funds, AU is also setting up a new scientific laboratory. The laboratory will have three wings – pharmacy, food testing and genetics.
The old quarters opposite Siripuram will be demolished to facilitate its construction and it will solely be for research purpose with industry participation. For food testing lab, we have already tied up with Food Crafts Institute, a government-owned institute, said Prof. Prasada Reddy.
