Jadavpur University to receive Rs 47 crore for developing infrastructure under RUSA 2.0 scheme

KOLKATA: Jadavpur University will receive Rs 47 crore under the Rashtriya Uchchatara Shiksha Abhiyaan (RUSA 2.0) scheme, bringing an end to the long delay in the release of the second instalment of funds promised to the varsity, a JU official said Wednesday.

The grant, however, comes with the condition that the entire amount must be utilised by March 31, the last day of the current financial year. The fund, provided by the central and state government under a 60:40 ratio, was disbursed through the state education department, Vice Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya told PTI.

The fresh allocation was the second and last part of Rs 100 crore sanctioned under RUSA. The first part of Rs 53 crore was released in 2019. In October 2021, the then vice-chancellor Suranjan Das had said the Centre failed to release the second instalment of funds (Rs 47 crore), impeding the research and academic activities of the university .

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Bhattacharjee said the university was currently identifying priority areas for utilisation of the funds by March 31. Another varsity official said one of the key proposals under consideration is the development of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to combine academic, administrative and financial processes.

The absence of such a system has resulted in reliance on manual processes, causing delays in areas such as result publication. Officials added that the funds could also be used for upgrading laboratories , supporting research projects submitted earlier by faculty members and instituting scholarships. The release of the RUSA funds is expected to provide relief to the university at a time when it is facing financial constraints and increasing operational demands.