The annual Budget for 2025-26 of Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), Kottayam, emphasises fostering student entrepreneurship, promoting research, and advancing sustainability.
Presented by Finance Subcommittee convener P. Harikrishnan, the Budget projects a revenue of ₹650.87 crore against an expenditure of ₹672.74 crore, leaving a revenue deficit of ₹21.86 crore.
Vice-Chancellor C.T. Aravinda Kumar, addressing a press conference, announced a ₹1-crore allocation to encourage student entrepreneurship. The initiative includes promoting innovative ideas, converting them into viable projects, and incubating them into start-ups. “Each study department will be tasked with transforming at least one idea into a project and ₹50 lakh has been earmarked to support this. Once these start-ups are industrialised, the university will secure a share of the profits,” said the Vice-Chancellor.
To further support innovation, the Budget has earmarked ₹10 lakh for a technology databank and patent galleries and ₹1 crore for establishing an entrepreneurship park to assist students in developing and testing new technologies.
Museum, study centre
The university also plans to launch a Gandhi Museum next year, featuring an array of books, photographs, films, and documentaries on Mahatma Gandhi. A Constitution and Parliamentary Studies Centre will be set up in honour of B.R. Ambedkar, and a School of Digital Media and Visual Studies will be established in memory of former Vice-Chancellor U.R. Ananthamurthy.
In a bid to ensure energy sustainability, a ₹5-crore allocation has been made for installing solar panels and water heaters. Surplus electricity generated will be sold to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). Furthering its green initiatives, ₹25 lakh has been designated for energy generation from organic waste.
To digitise its examination system, the university has set aside ₹1 crore. The allocation for infrastructure development includes ₹3 crore for constructing a multi-purpose convention centre.
A total of ₹11.25 crore will be allocated for study departments and ₹4.75 crore for inter-school centres. Also, ₹90 lakh will be spent on training programmes tailored to the new four-year undergraduate courses.
Academic carnival
In April-May, the university will host a Global Academic Carnival to showcase its academic offerings. The Budget includes ₹20 lakh for travel grants for faculty members to attend academic programmes and provision for a fellowship fund to encourage research excellence.
Published – December 31, 2024 07:31 pm IST
