OU continues to hope Centre releases funds

Varsity expects Centre to match state’s `100cr grant

The Big Day for Osmania University has arrived.

On Wednesday, April 26, the university will be entering its hundredth year amid much fanfare.

Amidst the rejoicing, the varsity has reasons to be disappointed; its pleas for special grant in its centenary year have gone unheard. The Union HRD ministry has not communicated any decision in this regard to the varsity.

The state government had announced `200 crore for the varsity in its Budget and the OU administration was expecting at least a matching grant from the Centre.

UGC MEMBER Prof. G. Gopal Reddy is confident that the HRD ministry as well as UGC would definitely release special funds to the varsity soon

OU had sought `400 crore grant from the state government and `300 crore grant from the Centre for taking up development activities and give a boost to academic research in the varsity to make it one of the top institutions in the country. Higher-ups in the varsity went to New Delhi on few occasions to take up the issue with HRD officials.

TS education minister Kadiam Srihari too took up the matter with Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar. Even Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao stepped in. OU sources said that file reached PMO and is awaiting clearance.

University officials had hoped the Centre announcing at least `100 crore, even if it did not match the TS government’s allocation during the three-day inaugural fete since Mr Javadekar was scheduled to attend the event.

However, even these hopes have been dashed with Mr Javadekar likely to miss the event.

— DECCAN CHRONICLE Police personnel deployed at the Osmania University campus are assigned duties ahead of the President’s visit for the varsity’s centenary celebrations, in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

— DC GHMC workers try to catch a stray dog on Osmania University premises as preparations for the varsity’s centenary celebrations reached a peak on Tuesday.