PM announces Rs 95 cr for Visva Bharati development

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced Rs 95 crore grant for the development of Visva Bharati as a centre of excellence and the restoration of its pre-eminence nationally and internationally.

“We had appointed a high-level committee with a view to restore the university to its pre-eminence in national and international arena and to reaffirm it as a centre of excellence,” Singh, who is the Chancellor, said during the annual convocation at the traditional venue of Amrakunj.

Singh said, “I am happy to announce today that an amount of Rs 95 crore has been sanctioned for the implementation of the initial plan prepared by the Visva Bharati in pursuance of the recommendations of the committee.” Pointing out that the university grants commission (UGC) had earlier sanctioned “generous” grants to the Visva Bharati for the expansion of its facilities, Singh said that there was no dearth of resources available with the university.

Urging Visva Bharati to take advantage of this, the prime minister said that as a follow-up of the committee’s recommendation, the Archeological Survey of India has completed the conservation work of the heritage buildings in the Ashram and will now restore the four buildings in the Uttarayan complex within this financial year.

Stating that the Committee had been set up in August this year to advice on the restoration of art works and other building-related issues in the Visva Bharati, he said that those initiatives would help the university excel further.

The prime minister handed over Visva Bharati’s highest award ‘Deshikottama’ to seven eminent personalities — Habib Tanvir (theatre personality), Debi Prasad (educationist), Roddan Narasimha (scientist), educationist and former Visva Bharati vice-chancellor Amlan Dutta, K G Subramaniam (artist), besides Irfan Habib (historian) and India development economist Jean Drez (both in absentia).

He also handed over the ‘Gagan-Abanindra Puraskar’ to artists Sanat Kar and Arpita Singh and the ‘Rathindra Puraskar’ to scientist Arun Kumar Sharma and mathematician CS Seshadri.

Earlier, on arrival at the university campus, the PM inaugurated the Debendranath Tagore museum at the restored Sasntiniketan Griha by lighting a lamp.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Visva Bharati Vice Chancellor Rajat Kanta Ray said that the university’s initiative in restoring its heritage was already showing results. “The signs of improvement have begun to appear. The murals, the art objects were energetically restored,” he said.

Ray said that the installation of drop gates at various points within the varsity campus has ensured better protection. The various festivals of the university were also being reorganised, he added.