Osmania University Likely to Lose RUSA Grants
- Delay in the faculty recruitment process might block the RUSA grants of Osmania University, Hyderabad.
- Due to the latest UGC order on reservations, the entire recruitment process of the faculty has been delayed.
Osmania University (OU) is expected to lose grants under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) that are necessary for taking up developmental activities in the campus. With a motive to avoid losing funds, OU has written a letter to the HRD Ministry requesting it not to hold back the RUSA grants.
Earlier, the Union Government had approved a grant of Rs. 242 crore to state universities, with Rs. 107 crores alone being allocated to Osmania Universty in Telangana. RUSA is a centrally sponsored scheme that gives startegic funding to higher education institutes in different states. The grant is provided to improve the quality of education in state universities. However, the RUSA scheme came with a rider that vacant faculty positions in the state universities should be filled.
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Due to the latest UGC order on reservations, the entire recruitment process of the faculty at OU has been delayed. The delay in the recruitment process will further block the RUSA grant of Osmania University, officials said.
The state government of Telangana has already accorded the permission for recruitment of 1,091 faculty posts in the state universities. However, the recruitment process was not initiated due to the UGC order on reservations.
As per UGC order, the reservation of SC/ ST candidates for faculty positions in universities should be applicable to each department or subject and not the university as a whole. The vacant teaching posts in each department should follow the reservation policy while recruiting.
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With the sanctioned RUSA funds, the administration of Osmania University has earmarked Rs. 20 crore for the construction of the hostel for girls, common rooms in six college campus colleges and washrooms for both boys and girls.
About Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA):
RUSA was started in 2013 with the aim to provide funding to higher education institutes. The funding is centrally provided in the ratio of:
- General Category states: 60:40
- Special Category states: 90:10
- Union Territories: 100%
The channel of RUSA funding is as follows:
- From the central ministry through the state governments/union territories to the State Higher Education Councils before reaching the identified institutions.
The RUSA funding is norm based and outcome dependent. The funding to states is facilitated basis critical appraisal of State Higher Education Plans, which describes each state’s strategy to address issues of equity, access and excellence in higher education.
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