Rs 90-cr debt waiver for Punjabi University

Ravneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 8

After Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal announced special debt waiver for Punjabi University, its professors said the allocation of Rs90 crore for the university was a partial relief.

A university official said, “The government has provided as much funds as the university claimed it was falling short of during the new financial year. It is a step towards right direction.”

University acting Vice-Chancellor (VC) Ravneet Kaur said, “The government had asked the university to provide in writing its deficit for the current fiscal, which came out to be Rs90.10 crore as per our calculations. We demanded the same amount, which was provided by the government.”

“The university has a small deficit to pay-off the outstanding amount in the present year and has asked for a grant for it too,” she added.

The university PUTA president, Dr Nishan Singh Deol, said, “It is a meager amount. The university will remain in bad fiscal condition as it has not been able to completely pay off the bank loan. It is relatively the same situation still.”

The university joint action committee (JAC) of the teaching, non-teaching Class A officials and pensioners today said, “The university has to pay debt of Rs150 crore and financial liabilities of Rs400 crore while the monthly expenditure of pensions and salaries is Rs31 crore. The government’s special grant of Rs90 crore is minimum to improve its financial state of affairs. The government should allocate Rs400 crore special and Rs30 crore monthly grant for the university.”

Former MLA Surjit Singh Rakhra said, “The university needs more grants and a Vice-Chancellor.”