With State universities transferring their funds to treasury accounts under instructions from the government, concerns are rife that the existing restrictions in view of the financial crunch could impede the progress of ongoing research projects.
The principal investigators of various projects, and the heads, coordinators and directors of departments, centres and inter-university centres had been recently directed to transfer the balance amount in their Personal Deposit accounts which had been sanctioned under State Plan grant to their respective Plan Scheme Treasury Savings Bank (PSTSB) accounts.
The diktat came a few months after the universities had parked their non-Plan and own funds on the insistence of the government.
With several project and department heads expressing reluctance in complying with the directive, they were warned that a failure to do so would have “serious repercussions” including the stalling of Plan and non-Plan (including salary) receipts from the government. “The government is closely monitoring the actions and financial transactions in this regard,” a correspondence sent by a university stated.
The teaching community has expressed apprehensions that the treasury regulations including restrictions that were in place for clearing bills over ₹5 lakh could have an impact on ongoing projects including those funded by University Grants Commission, Department of Science and Technology and other agencies. Such projects that relied on research grants could not afford delays, they pointed out.
They added the instruction contravened the provision of University Acts that permitted universities to lodge its funds in the government treasury or in any nationalised banks with the approval of the government. Most university departments had maintained PD accounts in the State Bank of India since their inception.
Save University Campaign Committee petitioned the Governor and the Chief Minister to seek their intervention to prevent eroding the autonomy of universities. The organisation’s chairman R.S. Sasikumar and secretary M. Shajarkhan cautioned the move could place universities at the government’s mercy to get their rightful funds sanctioned.
