J&K Cabinet approves Cluster Universities Bill, creation of

In a bid to give fiscal autonomy to universities and make them self-reliant, the State Cabinet today approved introduction of Kashmir and Jammu Cluster Universities Bill 2015 and proposal for creation of 124 posts of different categories for the varsities.
The Bill proposes to establish two cluster universities in the state, one each at Jammu and Srinagar, under centrally sponsored scheme Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) for addressing the critical gaps in distribution of higher educational institutions across the state.
Taking to reporters here, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said the Bill "will provide freedom to the universities to generate their own resources so that these are professionally run."

The Cluster Universities will provide opportunity to a large number of students to pursue various post graduate, under graduate and diploma courses in different streams and subjects through regular mode, he said.
In another significant decision aimed at granting financial autonomy to the state's Universities and ensure efficient utilisation of resources, the State Cabinet accorded approval to the grant of block grant to the Universities which will fund salary, pension, pensionery benefits of the sanctioned faculty and administrative staff.
Along with this, there will be a provision for a maximum increase of up to 10 per cent every year.
The Universities will be free to decide how to spend the allocated money based on its own internal allocation mechanism and according to what it intends to achieve.