UGC orders special audit in 10 central varsities

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed special audit in 10 central universities in the country to check complaints of financial, administrative, and academic irregularities, officials said on Friday.

The UGC order follows a Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) directive, a top Tripura (Central) University official said on the condition of anonymity.

"The Tripura varsity has already notified the UGC decision to all its 41 departments and eight centres and asked officials concerned to be prepared for the special audit," the official added.

The audit will also be conducted at the Aligarh Muslim University and Allahabad University in Uttar Pradesh, Pondicherry University, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University in Uttarakhand, Central University of Jharkhand, Central University of Rajasthan, Central University of Jammu, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya in Wardha in Maharashtra, and Hari Singh Gour University in Madhya Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the Tripura assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Thursday to urge the Ministry of HUman Resource Development for action on complaints of various irregularities in the Tripura (Central) University.

Trinamool Congress key leader and legislator Sudip Roy Barman moved the resolution requesting the ministry to send a high-level team to probe the misdeeds of the Tripura University.

Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty, and Congress and treasury bench members supported the resolution before it was accepted by Deputy Speaker Pabitra Kar.

Teaching and non-teaching staff of the Tripura (Central) University have been agitating for several months against alleged irregularities.

"There have been irregularities in the recruitment of professors, assistant and associate professors, promotions, admissions, construction and purchase of materials in the university," Salim Shah, a spokesperson for professors and the teaching staff, told the media here.

He said the varsity spent Rs 10 crore on purchase of e-books from select few publishers without floating tender and without consultation/requisition from academic departments concerned.

Tripura (Central) University Vice Chancellor Anjan Kumar Ghosh was not available for comments and other senior varisty officials refused to comment.

--IANS

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