Bengalcolleges worry erosion of autonomy as govt. calls for checking account particulars for support

Over 450 government-aided faculties in West Bengal worry erosion of autonomy after the State authorities directed them to submit their checking account and glued deposit (FD) particulars to obtain monetary support from the federal government. The establishments additionally imagine that the transfer is a monetary assault on them.

“The Finance Department has launched the Fund Information System (FIS) portal from the monetary yr 2025-26, and it’s necessary to supply checking account particulars and FD particulars to get any monetary help from the State authorities,” mentioned the Department of Higher Education in a round issued earlier this week.

No official rationalization has been given concerning the transfer, and principals of those aided faculties have shunned commenting. However, some academicians are expressing their concern over the matter, they usually really feel that the federal government may “dig into their sources”.

“The State authorities is decreasing the funds for schooling in all sectors. Recruitment of academics has been halted. Research funds are crunched. Universities are autonomous our bodies which have raised sources for a very long time via their analysis, advocacy and industry-institute partnership programmes,” mentioned Ishita Mukhopadhyay, a professor of economics on the University of Calcutta.

Stating that a number of academics’ associations had expressed their anger in opposition to the federal government’s transfer, she mentioned, “This transfer is simply to siphon off these sources to the federal government for no cause. This is an assault on the monetary and educational autonomy of state academic establishments. This will additional deprive the scholars, who’re already affected by delayed admission and lack of funds.”

Meanwhile, an affiliate professor with a Kolkata school who didn’t wish to be recognized mentioned, “The State authorities is already taking half of the entire tuition charges collected in a yr. This notification makes us imagine that the corpus fund of faculties within the type of FDs and financial institution balances could be taken away. The faculties want such funds for varied improvement tasks like development of recent buildings, renovation and restore, extensions of current buildings, conduct of occasions, notably when the UGC hardly extends any monetary assist because it did earlier than until the twelfth Plan.”