Now Reading: Ex-Gujarat University VC Neerja Gupta denies Rs 40 crore fraud
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Ex-Gujarat University VC Neerja Gupta denies Rs 40 crore fraud
Former Gujarat University vice-chancellor Neerja Gupta has denied allegations of misusing Rs 40 crore in PMJVK scheme funds, releasing a video statement with what she calls documentary proof. She said only Rs…
Former Gujarat University vice-chancellor Neerja Gupta has denied allegations of misusing Rs 40 crore in PMJVK scheme funds, releasing a video statement with what she calls documentary proof. She said only Rs 16.50 crore of the sanctioned Rs 40 crore was ever received, deposited directly into the university's official account, not her personal account, under the "PI PMJVK Jain Manuscript" project, and that she submitted a bank draft of the unspent balance plus interest, totalling Rs 14.59 crore, to the registrar upon resignation.
Gupta claimed just Rs 1.90 crore of the received funds was spent, with bills and utilisation certificates sent to the ministry. She also defended paid consultancy work, stating it was an ICHR project transferred with her to Gujarat University, unrelated to her salary. She questioned the impartiality of the inquiry panel set up by the current in-charge VC, saying two members had been openly dissatisfied with her for months, and urged the in-charge VC to seek guidance from the state higher education department before proceeding.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This is not the first time a Gujarat University vice-chancellor has faced fund-misuse allegations. The PM Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK), run by the minority affairs ministry since 2008, targets infrastructure in minority-concentration districts. Any unspent grant under a central scheme must be returned with interest, as the Controller General of Accounts framework requires. The charge of personal-account deposit would, if proven, violate the General Financial Rules 2017, which mandate all government grants be held only in the designated institutional bank account. The real question is whether the inquiry committee, whose composition the former VC has challenged as biased, delivers an assessment that the higher education department, the ultimate authority over Gujarat University, can act on without further litigation. The university's executive council will need to decide on the utilisation certificate's acceptance when it next meets.
Source: aajtak.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
