HYDERABAD: Osmania University, which is gearing up for its centenary celebrations in 2017, decided on Tuesday to explore various options to mobilise funds from a variety of sources. Apart from seeking a grant from the state government, the varsity will be knocking on the doors of the Union ministry for human resource development for a special grant.
“It has come to our notice that the Centre had previously given special grants of '100 crore to universities when they completed their centenary. Osmania University has decided to approach MHRD to extend the same to us,” Prof. H. Venkateshwarlu, special officer for the OU centenary fete, said.
The university will try to tap into the corporate social responsibility obligations of corporates and MNCs to seek assistance for the celebrations which are set to kick off from April 26 next.
The university administration plans to establish a centre for Telangana studies to mark the occasion. This centre, according to Prof. Venkateshwarlu, will facilitate research into various subjects pertaining to Telangana state, which could come in handy for the state government while making policy decisions.
Establishing a skill development-cum-incubation centre is also on the cards. The university is banking on corporates to take care of new infrastructure for these two centres, which could be named after the sponsors.
A meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss modalities to take inputs from former vice-chancellors, eminent personalities like retired judges and serving bureaucrats. Mayor Bonthu Rammohan took part in the meeting.
Among the proposals that came up at the meeting, according to sources, were to hold year-long celebrations in the districts, felicitating 100 noted alumni to mark the centenary of the university, setting up a ‘centenary garden’ on a 2-acre site at OU and conducting competition.
