Rs 100 crore for Anna University to develop infrastructure in engineering colleges

Chennai: Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned Rs 100 crore to Anna University to upgrade infrastructure in the university and engineering colleges.

While presenting the State Budget for 2019-20, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said, “A sum of Rs 100 crore will be sanctioned to upgrade infrastructure including equipment, to impart teaching at international standards in the university and engineering colleges under Director of Technical Education.”

The students studying in constituent colleges and regional campuses of Anna University are suffering due to poor infrastructure.

The university plans to use the fund to upgrade the facilities at these campuses.

“With this fund, we will try to improve infrastructure at our four regional campuses and constituent colleges. We will give priority to students’ needs and augment research activities,” said M.K. Surappa, Vice-Chancellor of Anna University.

The Tamil Nadu government launched UG courses on regional campuses in Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Madurai from last year.

“The facilities on our four regional campuses and constituent colleges of the university are inadequate. We need a good infrastructure like hostels, labs and classes to provide quality engineering education. Even some of the departments at the main campus also do not have adequate facilities,” he added.

Besides allocating Rs.100 crore, the Tamil Nadu government has revised the block grants to the state universities after 20 years.

A sum of Rs. 538 crore has been allocated as block grants to various universities of which Rs.250 crore is allocated to Annamalai University alone.

For higher education, the state government has allocated Rs 4,584 crore in the budget.