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physical assets but also for its development projects. The sheer size of the University,
as also the diversity of its programmes, made it a real challenge to mobilize
financial resources that would address the development needs of the University
in an optimum manner. The University of Delhi is almost entirely dependent on
the UGC for its maintenance grants. In 1999-2000, which was representative of
the 1990s, the situation was as follows. The revised estimates of the budget were
Rs 1,223 million, while the actual maintenance grant released by the UGC, including
internal receipts, in terms of actuals, was Rs 1,042 million. Almost 75 per cent
of the maintenance expenditure was on salaries and retirement benefits. Of the
remainder, about three-fifths were absorbed by pre-emptive claims such as rents,
electricity, telephones, medical expenses and examinations. Therefore, just about
10% of the maintenance grant was available for other uses and needs. It was obviously
not enough even for the maintenance of physical assets. Libraries and laboratories
languished. This was no different from the situation in Universities elsewhere
in India.
The University of Delhi sought to address this problem at two
levels. First, it persuaded the UGC to allocate more resources. Second, it sought
to mobilize resources from outside the UGC. The revised estimates, for the University
of Delhi budget, increased from Rs 1,224 million in 2000-01 to Rs 1,828 million
in 2004-05. The maintenance grant released by the UGC, including internal receipts,
in terms of actuals, rose from Rs 1,084 million in 2000-01 to Rs 1,601 million
in 2004-05. Hence, there was an increase of more than 50 per cent in a span of
five years. Even more important, perhaps, the share of expenditure, other than
on salaries and retirement benefits of the total expenditure, registered a very
significant increase from 29% in 2000-01 to 41% in 2004-05. The much improved
financial support from the UGC was most valuable in our endeavour. The UGC recognized
that it was important to support institutions that make systematic efforts to
utilize and mobilize resources instead of simply bridging the gap between income
and expenditure. Some of this support came in the form of special grants-in-aid
for specified purposes. In the three year period, from 2002-03 to 2004-05, the
UGC provided almost Rs 150 million in the form of such special one-time grants-in-aid,
including Rs 65 million for the repair and renovation of buildings, Rs 22 million
for the upgradation of an electric sub-station, Rs 16 million for improving facilities
in University hostels, Rs 15 million for renovation of the University auditorium,
and Rs 11 million for improving the drainage-sewerage system. The development
support provided by the UGC, for capital expenditure, remained at modest levels.
Yet, support from the UGC was an important contribution. Ninth Plan grants from
the UGC enabled us to construct a new building for the Faculty of Mathematical
Sciences, the International Guest House and the University Centre. During the
Tenth Plan, the UGC provided much less for buildings than had been recommended
by the Visiting Committee. It sanctioned a sum of Rs 28.4 million for a multi-disciplinary
academic complex, Rs.15 million for an academic research complex and Rs 15 million
for a conference centre in the main campus. In addition, it sanctioned Rs 17.9
million for an academic complex in the South Campus. These grants were important
but not sufficient, given the cost of construction and the need for space. It
was, therefore, important to help ourselves. These four buildings have been completed
and the balance has been met from University resources. The UGC grants-in-aid
for plan expenditure are less than 5% of the grants-in-aid for non-plan maintenance
expenditure. Such a small proportion of investment in total expenditure can only
mortgage the future. Hence, it was imperative to mobilize additional resources,
from elsewhere, to meet developmental needs. And this is what we did. The restoration
of the Viceregal Lodge was supported by a grant-in-aid of Rs 35.3 million from
the Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation. It would not have been possible without the
strong support we received from the then Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. The connectivity
project was supported by a generous grant-in-aid of Rs 38.5 million from the Ministry
of Information Technology, Government of India. This network was subsequently
upgraded through a further grant of Rs 20 million from the Ministry of Human Resource
Development, Government of India. In response to a request from the Vice Chancellor,
the Government of Delhi set aside a sum of Rs 250 million, in its Tenth Five Year
Plan, for the restoration of old and heritage buildings at the University of Delhi
and its colleges. This would not have been possible without the extraordinary
support from the Chief Minister and the then Lieutenant Governor who recognized
that heritage buildings at the University of Delhi were an integral part of the
heritage of Delhi. These grants-in-aid, which have already been disbursed for
the first three years of the Tenth Plan, have supported the restoration of several
buildings in the University campus as also in its colleges. The Government of
Delhi, at the initiative of the Chief Minister, provided a grant-in-aid of Rs
54 million for the construction of a Biotechnology Centre in the South Campus,
which is nearing completion. The two pedestrian precincts in the University campus,
the University Plaza and Plaza Botanica have been developed for us on a turnkey
basis, financed entirely by the Delhi Development Authority. The estimated cost
of these plazas is about Rs 20 million. These plazas would not have been possible
without the generous support from the then Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. The construction
of the new hostels has been financed by the following grants-in-aid from the Government
of India: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (Rs 21 million), North Eastern
Council, Ministry of Home Affairs (Rs 35 million and Rs 28 million) and Ministry
of Human Resource Development (Rs 16 million). In addition, the University of
Delhi financed a hostel (Rs 26 million) from its foreign students registration
fund. The UGC provided a grant of Rs 10 million in the Ninth Plan for a student
hostel in the South Campus. The University of Delhi South Campus alone has generated
research funding from various sources to the tune of about Rs 500 million. This
is apart from the assistance from the Department of Science and Technology under
FIST for equipment and facilities. The Centre for Environmental Management of
Degraded Ecosystem alone has received a grant of Rs 130 million, and has secured
approval of another Rs 100 million during the past five years from various sources,
particularly from the Delhi Development Authority and the Department of Biotechnology
of the Government of India. A total grant of Rs 57.5 million has been generated
by 22 departments of under the Special Assistance Programme of the UGC. The science
departments received Rs 73.2 million under FIST programme from the Department
of Science and Technology of the Government of India. The Centre for Interdisciplinary
Studies of Mountain and Hill Environment generated a grant of Rs 48 million. The
National Consumers Helpline set up at the Department of Commerce has attracted
a grant-in-aid of more than Rs 32 million from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
There are many other departments that have received research funding from various
sources. Put together, they amount to several tens of millions of Rupees. Individual
researchers also have been able to attract research funding during this period,
which put together, amount to a sizeable sum. |
