Non-practical subject get lab grant at AU

Updated on: Thursday, June 23, 2011

Different subject and departments at Allahabad University are getting funds to meet their laboratory expenditure, irrespective of the fact that the given subject has practical or not.

It is a known fact that subjects like English, Sanskrit, Urdu, Arabic and Persian, Hindi etc do not have practicals in the course curriculum. But, if sources are believed then there is certainly more than what meets the eye.

According to a senior official of the Accounts department of AU, authorities allocate around Rs 70 lakhs every year among different departments and the said funds are used to purchase chemicals, consumables, repair spare parts in the laboratories of these departments, which have practical as one of the paper in their course.

The varsity authorities had constituted a lab grant allocation committee, comprising of the deans of the four faculties i.e. science, arts, commerce and law gives its recommendation on the basis of which these funds are reallocated among various departments.

Every year the said committee allocates an amount of Rs 70 lakhs among various departments of the four faculties. But, whereas the said amount is allocated among different subjects of science stream, which has practicals in its course curriculum, the said committee also provides funds for departments even in arts, commerce and law faculties, without considering the fact whether the beneficiary department has practicals or not.

In the last such allocation (financial year 2010-11), the said committee was asked to allocate an amount of Rs 70 lakhs among various departments and it was decided that an amount of Rs 51 lakhs be given to science faculty, Rs 15 to arts faculty while Rs three lakh and Rs one lakh was given to commerce and law faculty respectively. Later, dean science asked for additional funds of Rs 21 lakh and the varsity authorities provided the same.

But, even as the different departments of science faculty, having practicals, were given substantial funds to meet out their expenses, all the departments of arts, commerce and law faculties too were given funds despite the fact that barring few subjects, almost all the subjects in these faculties do not have practicals.

In the last such allocation of the lab grant, department of Arabic and Persian, department of English, Hindi, Sanskrit and Urdu each got Rs 50,000. Philosophy was allotted Rs 80,000. Political science and medieval and modern history was given Rs 90,000. Interestingly, ancient history got a grant of Rs 1.1 lakh.

Apart from these non-practical subjects, funds was also given to departments which have practicals including geography and visual arts amounting to Rs 1.35 lakh each, while Psychology got Rs 1.10 lakh.

A source at account section says that since these non-practical departments cannot spend the allocated fund apart from the head for which it is allocated, the departments often attempt to purchase different items like AC, computer and furniture etc and then pressurise the accounts department to pass the bill.

When the dean science Prof S D Dixit was asked to comment on the issue, he said, "Although if funds are given to departments, which do not have practical as one of their paper, it cannot be justified. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the department to justify its expenditure."

Times of India

Non-practical subject get lab grant at AU

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