The University Grants Commission, in an effort to conserve college campuses which are more than 100 years old, has given the status of heritage institutions to 19 colleges across the country. A financial assistance in order to improve and upgrade the standard of education has also been approved.
The Centre suggested the idea of granting heritage tags to the universities so they could receive financial grants worth Rs 8-10 crore per annum from the government for the improvement of their respective campuses and other academic disciplines.
The Commission on inviting colleges for the heritage tag under the Heritage College Scheme received 60 applications, none of which belonged to Delhi. Out of the 60 proposals received, the heritage status was granted to 19 colleges who will now receive financial assistance for specialised courses related to heritage.
The colleges which have been granted the status include St.Xavier’s College, Mumbai; CMS College Kottayam; St Joseph College, Trichy; Khalsa College, Amritsar; St Bede’s College, Shimla, Christ Church College in Kanpur, Old Agra College, Agra; Meerut College, Meerut and Langat Singh College, Muzaffarpur.
Others which have figured in the list are Govt.Brennan College, Kerala; University College in Mangalore, Cotton College in Guwahati, Midnapore college in West Bengal, Govt Medical Science in Jabalpur, Deccan Education Society’s Fergusson College in Pune and St Xavier’s College in Kolkata among others.
The Commission granted a grant of Rs 4.35 crore to Cotton College of Guwahati for conservation of its heritage building. Langat Singh College, which received recognition as the college where Mahatma Gandhi had stayed during his Champaran Satyagraha received Rs 15 lakh financial aid from the UGC to develop a digital library.
The main aim of the fund is to utilise it for the renovation of Art Gallery and also initiate projects for identification of heritage locales.
The UGC has approved a grant of Rs 1.53 crore for St Xavier’s College in Mumbai to carry out conservation work and run diploma and certificate courses while Agra College got a fund of Rs 25 lakh.
The University Grants Commission is also expected to examine 160 fresh proposals which have been sent by various colleges across the country
[“source-indiatoday.intoday”]
