A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Friday disapproved setting up of new Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) under PPP mode fearing it would give rise to conflict between welfare objective of the Government and profit motive of industry. The Government proposes to set up 20 new IIITs across the country under PPP mode.
The cost of each IIIT would be Rs128 crore and it would be contributed by the Centre, State Government and the industry in the ratio of 50:35:15 per cent. The department related Standing Committee on HRD, however, apprehended that these institutes would be purely private entity right from day one given the provisions in the legislation.
“An individual entity having a stake on the ownership might give rise to conflict between the welfare objective of the government and profit motive of the industry a few years down the line,” it said. To buttress its point, the committee further referred to the State-funded institutes like IITs and NITs which are functioning remarkably well and known world-wide for their excellence despite no industry having a stake in their ownership.
The committee made its observation after examining the Indian Institute of Information Technology Bill, 2013 introduced in lok Sabha during the last Budget Session. The Bill seeks to establish 20 new IIITs and declare the existing four into institutes of national importance.
The department related Standing Committee on HRD apprehended that these institutes would be purely private entity right from day one given the provisions in the legislation.
Meanwhile, the CAG has rapped premier educational institutions like IIT Delhi and JNU for failing to avail rebate to the tune of 10 per cent on account of rain water harvesting in their campuses.
According the Government auditor, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in a notification which came in effect from January 2010 had said that Government institutes would be eligible for a 10 per cent rebate on the total amount of water bills subject to the existence of functional rain water harvesting structure.
IIT Delhi had 28 rainwater harvesting pits in its premises since 2000. However, the audit observed that it did not “claim rebate of 10 per cent on monthly water bills during January 2010 to July 2012 resulting in over payment of Rs64.29 lakh to DJB”.
Similarly, JNU had eight rain water harvesting systems functioning in its premises since 2005 and was eligible for availing 10 per cent discount on its monthly water bills during January 2010 to September 2011 resulting in over payment of Rs 80 lakh, the auditor in its report for the year ended March 2012 said.
The auditor also took on Central University Visva Bharati for failing to utilise grants received and refunding back to UGC. “The university, out of the total plan of Rs 12.68 crore, could utilise Rs 10.01 crore up to March 2005. The remaining unspent amount of Rs 2.67 crore was neither refunded to UGC nor invested in any interest beating term deposits, and was kept in current account from April 2005 to March 2012,” it said.