Rs2.68b UVAS Budget Approved
Lahore:28 June:University of Veterinary and Animal Science (UVAS) Syndicate Friday approved Rs2.681 billion university budget for the financial year 2014-15.
The 37th meeting of the syndicate was presided over by Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha which besides approving Rs956.785 million deficit budget also approved various degree programmes, appointments of faculty members and affiliation to two private institutes.
Presenting the budget before the syndicate, the UVAS Treasurer Muhammad Aslam Pervaiz said the university expected an income of Rs2.633 billion from different sources during the financial year 2014-15. About the budget breakdown, he said Rs1.675 billion have been allocated for the development projects. Non-development expenditures are estimated at Rs1.541 billion.
The VC said university had recorded 52 percent increase in its income from its own resources in financial year 2013-14 and was expecting to generate Rs405.543 million from its own resources in the financial year 2014-15. He said the university generated Rs218.559 million in financial year 2012-13 from its own resources and Rs332.95 million in 2013-14. He said the faculty members were contributing a hefty amount to the university income through their competitive research grants. They won research grants of Rs80.226 million in 2012-13 and Rs197.49 million in 2013-14 with 146 percent increase.
Prof Pasha said Rs1.7 billion would be spent on development with two new development projects one each funded by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Punjab government. The HEC has sanctioned Rs100 million for new project of “Establishment of Research Facilities at Ravi Campus” while the Punjab government has sanctioned Rs1.3 billion for development of a new “University of Veterinary Science at Bahawalpur, he told the meeting. A sum of Rs287.547 million will be spent on ongoing uplift projects. He said the Punjab government was focusing on the development of South Punjab and the University of Veterinary and Animal Science, Bahawalpur was being established to meet the growing needs of professionals and the livestock sector. Besides Rs1.3 billion grant, the Punjab government has provided 1,000 acre land for this university adjacent to Bahawalpur City, he added.
The VC said the Punjab government had provided Rs500 million for the university endowment fund during the last three years; the university had increased scholarship amount for students and provided Rs18.8 million scholarships in 2012-13 and Rs28 million in 2013-14. He said the university was providing free-of-cost education to 35 students of Balochistan and spent Rs10.88 million on their fee exemption.
The Syndicate approved new degree programmes, including PhD and MPhil in disciplines of Genetic and Zoology; MSc in Biochemistry and Biotechnology and BS (Hons) in Biological Sciences, Biochemistry (Evening), BS (Hons) Biotechnology (Evening) and change of name of the Degree of BS (Hons) Applied Zoology to BS (Hons) Zoology; change of name of Department of Livestock Economics and Business as Department of Economics and Business Management.
The university granted affiliation to Kings College of Health Sciences, Sahiwal for Degree of BS (Hons) Biochemistry, BS (Hons) Applied Zoology and Allama Iqbal Institute of Life Sciences, Narowal, for two-year “Livestock Assistant” Diploma Course. The Syndicate approved appointments of professors on tenure track system and assistant professors/lecturers in different departments. Earlier, the VC briefed the Syndicate members on various academic, research and development programmes of the varsity.The news.
