Don’t need IoE status for Anna University, TN govt tells Centre

Don’t need IoE status for Anna University, TN govt tells Centre

‘VC’s Proposal On Finance Unsustainable’

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:3.11.2020

Rejecting a financial proposal submitted by vice-chancellor M K Surappa regarding Anna University, the state government has informed the Centre that the university, the premier engineering institution of the state, does not require Institute of Eminence (IoE) status. Tamil Nadu has also withdrawn its proposal submitted to the Centre in 2017 regarding the status, highly placed sources said.

A five-member ministerial committee constituted to study the issue of IoE status for the university and the the institution’s financial sustainability in December last year, has recommended against conferring the status recently. This comes in the wake of an uproar over Surappa’s proposal to the Centre that the university can generate revenue through its own resources. “The state government conveyed to the Union education ministry (erstwhile HRD ministry) on Thursday the ministerial committee’s final report. The government also said Surappa’s proposal is not financially sustainable, since there is no chance of the institution generating revenue on its own,” a source said.

Will do with our own funds, what IoE status can do, says TN govt

Anna univ running on deficit budget

Higher education minister K P Anbalagan told TOI, “We will do with our state funds whatever the IoE status can do. Don’t forget that the Centre has offered IoE status to Anna University because of its reputation,” When contacted, Surappa said he had no clue about the state’s rejection of his proposal. “I don’t know about it,” he said. Surappa had written to the Centre on June 2 that the varsity could generate ₹314 crore per year (₹1,570 crore in five years) through internal resources. The varsity will not be indenting for extra grants other than its annualblock grants and additional grants and therefore the IoE status should be retained, he said.

The state sought an explanation from the VC after controversy erupted over his financial proposal. “The state informed the Centre that the amount Surappa had talked about, included surplus of affiliation and examination feefrom affiliatedcolleges. This cannot be diverted for the IoE status, it said. The varsity is run on a deficit budget estimated at₹349.74croreduring the last fiscal,” the source said.