Govt seeks details of infrastructure

THE EXPERT group for Central Universities— set up by the Union Government to draw up modalities for implementing the decision of introducing reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in institutions of higher education— has sought detailed information about the existing infrastructure and seats in various courses of Allahabad University (AU) and its Constituent colleges.

The varsity has been instructed to make the information available by June 15 at all costs and treat the matter as a top priority. This expert group is one of the three such separate groups formed for the engineering and management institutions as well as the Central universities that will function under the 13-member Quota Oversight Committee set up by the Union Government.

This committee is to submit its report to the Government on the OBC reservations by August 31 and in light of the deadline, the three expert groups have been asked to complete their job by July 31 itself.

The group for Central universities is being headed by former Aligarh Muslim University Vice-Chancellor Sayed Hamid. Other members include Vice-Chancellors of four Central universities: Panjab Singh (Banaras Hindu University), Deepak Pental (Delhi University), Pramod Tandon (North-Eastern Hill University), Syed E Hasnain (Hyderabad University) besides NIPFP professor M Govinda Rao.

As per the June 5 faxed letter, AU officials have been asked to provide information regarding courses at undergraduate and post graduate level, students intake (course wise), increase in the total number of seats so as to maintain the total availability of seats in the unreserved category and other requirements like additional teaching/non-teaching/technical posts and other infrastructure for the purpose.

The varsity has also been asked to furnish details through a separate note with regard to the existing norms of reservation of seats for SC/ST/PH, other if any, in admission to various courses conducted by the university and its Constituent coleges.

The expert group has also attached a performa having separate tables for providing details of faculty/department wise intake capacity of students for 2005-06 (Total and actual), proposed intake for 2006-07, reservation for SC/ST (as per norms and actual), physically handicapped or other (as per norms and actual), unreserved seats (as per norms and actual), number of seats as per proposed 27 per cent OBC reservations, increase in intake capacity to maintain the unreserved seats considering OBC reservations as well as the total number of students including all the years in the course.

AU has also been asked to provide details like faculty/department wise details of the sanctioned and the existing faculty strength, number of teachers retired during the past five years, additional requirement of faculty, other infrastructure for the enhanced intake and additional requirement of non-teaching/technical staff  due to the increased intake. "We have begun the efforts to collect the details of the information sought from us and will forward it on the prescribed format well within the deadline," said AU Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) Prof Amrendra Singh confirming the arrival of the faxed letter from the expert group for Central Universities formed by the Union government seeking the
information.