Last month, KPB Hinduja College received a grant of Rs 50 lakh from the UGC, which it now plans to use to improve its infrastructure for students and teachers
In one of the biggest grants given to a city college this year, the KPB Hinduja College at Charni Road was awarded a grant of Rs 50 lakh from the University Grants Commission (UGC) last month.
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All smiles: T A Shiware, principal of KPB Hinduja college, which received theu00a0Rs 50 lakh grant last month. File pic
The decision to award the grant was taken after the college was declared as the best college of commerce in Mumbai and it received National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation.
While the college had applied for the grant a few months ago, the UGC accepted the proposal and released the grant to the college in the last week of July.
According to UGC guidelines, the college has to utilise the grant and submit utilisation documents within six months from the date of release.
The objective of the scheme is to strengthen teaching and learning process in the higher education institutions by augmenting academic equipment, generators, fax machines, air conditioners, teaching aids, laboratory equipment and other items on the basis of justification.
Expenditure on software and laptops may also be made minimally.
However, the purchase of furniture and fixtures, physical education equipment, chemicals, glassware, consumable items, books and journals, renovation, staff facility, audit fee or honorarium is not allowed under this scheme.
The rule also says that the grant shall not be used for self-financing/non-grant/unaided courses and teachers. The institution will have to spend 15 per cent for SC, 7.5 per cent for ST and the remaining 77.5 per cent for other categories.
T A Shiware, principal of KPB Hinduja College, said, “Ours will be the first college to get such a huge grant from UGC. Most of the colleges applied, but due to time constraint, many of them also fail to spend the whole amount in the given period.
Colleges also have to return their grant to UGC with a 10 per cent interest. We sent a proposal to the UGC for the grant and they accepted it as our college has been declared as the best college for commerce and also got the NAAC accreditation. This grant will help us to improve and bring a lot of changes in our institute that will benefit our students as well as teachers.”
Dr T P Madhu Nair, one of the members of the academic council said, “Hinduja College was declared as the best college in commerce,
so they might have earned plus points in that to get the grant from UGC.”
Rajpal Hande, principal and director of Board of College and University development, University of Mumbai, said, “All the ‘A’ grade colleges are eligible for the grant from the UGC. Hinduja would be one of them who got the grant.
I cannot tell how many ‘A’ grade colleges might have got the grant. Excellence of the college will earn a grant from the UGC, as the UGC is promoting ‘A’ grade colleges everywhere.”u00a0
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