Tamil Nadu opposes repeal of UGC Act
Chennai, July 14 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Saturday strongly opposed the draft bill on Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Act 2018.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the text of which was released to the media here, Palaniswami said: "The Government of Tamil Nadu is of the view that the existing institutional arrangement of the University Grants Commission (UGC) with both regulatory and financial powers is functioning well.
"There is no need to disband the UGC and replace it with Higher Education Commission of India with only regulatory powers."
According to the Chief Minister, the UGC at present is entrusted with the responsibilities of maintaining, monitoring and improving the standards of teaching and research in Higher Educational Institutions.
It also has the power of sanctioning funds under various schemes, which has been in vogue since 1956 without any complaints.
"The UGC has the required capacity for objective evaluation of the proposals received and sanction funds in a transparent manner," he said.
Palaniswami expressed Tamil Nadu's strong reservation and apprehension to the proposed draft bill under which the financial powers are proposed to be transferred to the Ministry of Human Resource (MHRD) or some other body.
He said based on Tamil Nadu's experience, the sanction of funds objectively based on merits has not been very positive by various ministries of the Government of India.
"Further, if this financial power is taken over by the MHRD, we apprehend that the funding pattern would change from 100 per cent funding to 60:40 ratio between Government of India and the State Government," he added.
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Railway track tampered with in Surat district; police suspect sabotage attempt
Surat (PTI): Unidentified persons allegedly tampered with a railway track by removing fish plates and loosening several bolts in an attempt to derail trains in Gujarat's Surat district on Saturday, police said.
The sabotage attempt came to light before a train could pass through the affected track between Kosamba and Kim railway stations as a lineman detected the damage and alerted the railway authorities in the early hours of the day, officials said.
Unidentified persons removed two fish plates that bolted the ends of two rails on the railway track and placed them on the parallel track, Superintendent of Police, Surat (rural), Hitesh Joysar said.
They also loosened some 40-50 bolts, he said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police RR Sarvaiya said a lineman inspecting the track discovered the tampering around 5.30 am and alerted the railway administration.
"Railway engineers and other staff reached the site and repaired the line, and the movement of trains resumed," he said.
Sarvaiya said the railway and local police have launched a probe, and a case is being registered.
Inspector PH Jadeja of Kim police station said it was an attempt to derail the train, and an accident was averted due to the alertness of the railway staff.
The train movement resumed once the damage was fixed, he said.
