Page 164 - DLIS101_LIBRARY_AND_INFORMATION_SOCIETY

Unit 14: Promoters of Library and Information Services

UGC gives plan and non-plan grants to central universities and plan grants to state universities but Notes
these grants do not go to affiliated colleges of the universities, in spite, they go for university campus
only. For affiliated colleges UGC gives separate grant. Therefore, for affiliated colleges to state
universities, UGC provides maintenance grants. There are nearly 13,150 colleges in the country.
Out of which, only 5,238 colleges are recognized by the UGC under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act
1956. Out of 5,238, 5,013 colleges are eligible to receive central assistance under Section 12 (B) of the
UGC Act, while in 1996-97 only 4815 colleges were eligible Information provided by P S Rajput,
Director, Administration, UGC on 31 July 2003 to receive grants from UGC. The quantum of grant
is worked out on the basis of various parameters such as student enrolment, faculty strength, etc.
The UGC has decentralised its functioning by opening seven regional offices in the country since
1994 for easy access and speedy release of grants under various schemes/programmes relating to
college sector.
Grants to all the eligible colleges all over the country are being disbursed by these UGC regional
offices under the following schemes/programmes being dealt with:
• College development programmes (UG/PG)
• Faculty development programme (Teacher Fellowships)
• Construction of hostels for women (Special Scheme)
• Minor research projects (for college teachers)
• Conferences, seminars and symposia
• Autonomous colleges (release of grants only)
• Revival of old reputed colleges (on time special grant)
• Facilities for disadvantaged groups (visually handicapped teachers)
• College science improvement programme (COSIP)
• College humanities and social science improvement programme (COHSSIP)
Autonomous Colleges
The scheme of autonomous colleges was formulated by the UGC in the fourth five year plan (1969-
73). These colleges themselves prescribe their curriculum and conduct the evaluation of their students
through a system of continuous evaluation. An autonomous college has freedom to:
• Determine and prescribe its own course;
• Prescribe rules for admission in consonance with the reservation policy of the State
Government;
• Evolve methods of assessment of student work, the conduct of examination, and notification
of results;
• Use of modern tools of education technology to achieve higher standard and greater creativity.

Financial Assistance
The Commission provides financial assistance under this scheme to autonomous colleges to meet
their additional and special needs. The normal financial assistance for undergraduate colleges having
single faculty has been provided to the extent of ` four lac per annum and for multi, faculty colleges
` six lac per annum. For both undergraduate and postgraduate level colleges, the assistance is ` five
lac per annum for single faculty colleges and ` eight lac per annum for multi faculty colleges. This
is available for those colleges, which are offering not fewer than six programmes of which two may
be at postgraduate level. The financial support to these colleges is divided into two parts:
1. 50% of the grant is allowed to be used for items as indicated in the guidelines.

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