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The state government is mulling over a series of suggestions that will help resolve the pension crisis in Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).
The varsity has been grappling with this problem since November 2007 and has managed to pay its 2,400-odd pensioners after a lot of hiccups and scampering.
It has been learnt that the state government is considering leasing out a part of PAU’s land, such as the Hathi complex or a strip of PAU land near Kitchloo Nagar, to raise funds.
Apart from this, the government is also planning to impose cess on farmers on crop productions. Plans to release a grant of Rs 25 crore to the university are also being discussed by the government.
PAU Vice-Chancellor (V-C) Dr M S Kang said: “The idea of selling or leasing out university land does not sound very good. The proposal of imposing cess on farmers is still better.
The state government can, however, decide on whom this cess should be levied. It could be the buyer or the seller.
We leave that to the government to decide.”
The idea to levy a 50p cess on every bag of wheat and paddy sold in Punjab was proposed by well-known economist Dr S S Johl, who is heading a fund generation committee constituted by Dr Kang.
As per the plan, this cess will be able to generate Rs 150 crore per annum, which will be handed over to PAU.
Experts feel that this measure will not only help the university recover from its financial crisis, but will also generate more funds for research.
Experts also claim that by approving this idea, the state government will not have to pay the annual budget of Rs 100 crore to PAU.Justifying his proposal, Dr Johl said: “An institution is maintained by the people it caters to. Other universities have a large number of students on their rolls and can sustain on the fees they collect. PAU caters to farmers and I think they can pay this meagre amount for an institute that has helped them bring about a green revolution.”
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