JNTUH’s faculty records also list a ₹22.26‑lakh project for the 2020–23 period
HYDERABAD: Questions have been raised over the financial documentation and audit compliance of a ₹22.26‑lakh research grant sanctioned to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH) by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), after an audit correspondence sought records and clarifications on expenditure and tax compliance. The grant, sanctioned under AICTE’s Research Promotion Scheme in March 2020, was for a research project at the JNTU Institute of Science and Technology. JNTUH’s faculty records also list a ₹22.26‑lakh project for the 2020–23 period.
The state audit department, in a letter to the university, sought documents required for verification of the utilisation certificate, including the tender notification and proceedings relating to equipment purchased from the non‑recurring component of the grant.
The audit correspondence also raised a tax‑compliance issue concerning an equipment purchase of ₹18.90 lakh. It recorded that GST at 5 per cent was applicable, while 2 per cent TDS and 2 per cent TDS under GST had not been deducted at the time of payment. The university’s response, as recorded in the audit material, was that the firm would file the required returns and that the remittance documents would be produced during the next audit.
The auditor subsequently sought the relevant GST and TDS remittance particulars and challans for verification. The audit material also refers to a separate purchase of chemicals worth ₹86,023 from Mahadev Enterprises. The firm reportedly confirmed payment of the applicable 2 per cent TDS, with the remittance details to be produced for verification.
The matter was subsequently raised in a complaint to AICTE by R. Devarala Yadav, who sought an inquiry into what he described as financial and procedural irregularities. His complaint also questioned the “certification of expenditure and utilisation records” and sought verification of the grant expenditure through the appropriate audit process.
While the complaint does not establish that the grant money was misused, the documents available confirm that the State Audit Department sought records and clarification on specific financial and tax‑compliance matters. The subsequent complaint seeks a wider inquiry.
When contacted for JNTUH’s response to the audit observations and the complaint, JNTUH registrar D. Rajya Lakshmi declined to comment.
