KOLKATA: Jadavpur University has received the first instalment of Rs 100-crore central grant in pursuit of its excellence, under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) a scheme that provides financial aid to select state universities to upgrade research facilities.
Of the sanctioned amount of Rs 41.66 crore the central share was Rs 25 crore and state's share Rs 16.66 crore a letter signed by Jaydip Mukhopadhyay, the additional state project director of RUSA, said.
In its address to the university, the letter, dated November 16, also said that the grant would go towards "enhancing quality and excellence of JU".
Vice-chancellor Suranjan Das, on his part, said the sanctioned money will used by the institution to set up new infrastructure and create advanced research facilities.
Das also said that he would be meeting the faculty members and other officials to discuss about ways to "fully optimise" the fund within a given timeframe.
In Bengal, JU is the first institute of higher education to have got the grant, based on its NAAC accreditation for five years, beginning September 2014.
Manojit Mandal, the joint coordinator of Centre for Society and Religion at JU, took to social media on Monday to express his gratitude to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the state government for the fund.
"JU is the first to receive more than 40 per cent of the Rs 100 crore grants in the 60:40 ratio...Rs 25 crore by MHRD and Rs 16.66 crore by the state government.
Our sincere gratitude to MHRD and the Government of West Bengal," Mandal posted on Facebook on Monday.