V-Cs get greater financial powers

New Delhi: Lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal has approved the Delhi government’s proposal to grant financial powers to the vice-chancellors of state-funded universities to spend up to Rs 5 crore for any new work. The finance department has issued an order following the approval of Mr Baijal. The order, that was issued on Friday, has come into force with immediate effect.

Last month, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had said that vice-chancellors of the Delhi government-funded universities would soon be able to carry out on their own work that cost up to Rs 5 crore per annum, a move which he had described as a “major reform” to ensure “autonomy” of these institutions.

“In exercise of powers conferred under the Rule-13 of delegation of Financial Power Rules, 1978, the lieutenant-governor, Delhi, is pleased to delegate the following financial powers to the vice-chancellors of the universities being funded by GNCTD of Delhi,” the department said in its order.

According to the order, the V-Cs of such universities can now take up new works that cost up to Rs 5 crore if they are executed through the public works department (PWD)

The government order also stated that for repair and maintenance works, V-Cs can spend up to Rs 1 crore per annum if the work is awarded to agencies other than the PWD.

Delhi Technological University and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University are among the universities that are full funded by the Delhi government.

The V-Cs of these universities earlier did not have such financial powers and they were dependent on the government for sanction of works that they might need to undertake on an urgent basis.