3 months ago
1
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has flagged irregular merchandise of authorities grants to 2 engineering colleges successful Karnataka — B.V. Bhoomareddy College of Engineering and Technology (BVBCET), Hubballi, and Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE), Mysuru — contempt their affiliation to backstage universities.
According to the study tabled successful the Legislative Assembly connected Thursday, the State authorities released grant-in-aid amounting to ₹146.23 crore to these institutions, successful usurpation of provisions of the respective assemblage Acts. During 2019–23 alone, BVBCET and SJCE received ₹50.30 crore and ₹95.93 crore, respectively.
The grants were issued successful contravention of Section 5 of the KLE Technological University Act, 2012, and the J.S.S. Science and Technology University Act, 2013, which mandate that backstage universities indispensable beryllium self-financing and are not entitled to State authorities aid. Despite this, the Commissioner of Collegiate and Technical Education continued to merchandise funds periodically, the audit observed.
The audit recovered some colleges ineligible for specified grants. In the lawsuit of BVBCET, the authorities initially stopped backing successful March 2023, citing statutory provisions, but aboriginal issued an bid successful February 2024 allowing grants to proceed until the 2022–23 batch completes its people and permitting retrenchment of aided unit by 2025–26.
For SJCE, Mysuru, directions were issued successful November 2019 to proceed assistance enactment without specifying immoderate timeline for phasing it out.
PhD-related irregularities
The CAG noted that the Higher Education Department failed to retrieve ₹5.72 crore paid arsenic salaries to module deputed for pursuing PhDs betwixt 2017 and 2020 successful authorities engineering colleges and polytechnics. Of the 19 module members, 15 failed to implicit their doctoral programmes, with delays of up to 33 months.
As per Rule 61(3) of the Karnataka Civil Services Rules, specified wage payments during deputation should beryllium recovered successful lawsuit of non-completion. However, nary betterment was made, the study stated.
