Central, state govts sanction funds for Bharathiar Univ

Coimbatore: The Bharathiar University has been sanctioned Rs 4.5 crore by the Centre and another Rs 3 crore by the state as the first instalment of Rs 50-crore fund under the second phase of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA-II) scheme.
Of the total Rs 50 crore, Rs 15 crore is meant to set up the entrepreneurship and career hub and the remaining Rs 35 crore for cancer research.
A university official said the sanctioned amount would be used to set up the entrepreneurship and career hub, which would function both as an incubation centre and a skill training centre.
The university, in a white paper given in reply to a query raised in its senate, said while the state’s share of Rs 3 crore has been credited in its RUSA account, it was awaiting the Centre’s share.
In the first phase of RUSA, the university was given an infrastructure grant of Rs 20 crore over a period of three years. A new building was constructed using this fund.
“The building would be used as career hub and also for cancer research. The fund was also used to buy research and sports equipment,” the officer said. The university is, however, yet to receive funds for cancer research.
According to the white paper, various departments at the university had submitted at least 100 proposals for the entrepreneurship and career hub and another 120 proposals for cancer research. The university has submitted the proposals to the human resource development ministry.
The official said the university was, meanwhile, in the process of scrutinising individual proposals. “A panel of experts will scrutinise the proposals and suggest modifications.”