Annexure-IIUNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION

BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARGNEW DELHI-11 0 002

PROFORMA FOR SUBMISSION OF EXPERT COMMITTEE REPORTSTATE PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

Part - I - Preliminary

(i) Constitution of the Expert Committee:

UGC Vide its letter no D.O.No.F-28/2011(CPP-I/PU) Dated January 25,2016 a committee consisting of following:-

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Prof. (Dr.) M.P. PooniaDirectorNational Institute of Technical Teachers'Training and ResearchSector-26, Chandigarh -160019

Chairman

Prof. J.P. Singh JoorelDean, Faculty of Mathematical Science,University of Jammu,Babasaheb Ambedkar Road,Jammu - 180 006 (J&K)

Member

Prof. Anup BeniwalDean, School of Hum. & Scl. Sc.GGS Indraprastha University,Sector-16C, Dwarka,New Delhi - 110 076

Member

Prof. Arvind B. PatelDRS Deptt. of Mathematics,Sardar Patel University,Vallabh Vidyanagar -388 120

Member

Prof. Aparna DixitDepartment of Bio-Technology,Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi - 110 067

Member

Dr. Jitendra K. Tripathi CoordinatingJoint Secretary OfficerUniversity Grants CommissionNew Delhi - 110 002

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(ii) Dates of visit

(iii) Any other information(Non-participation of members,any special factor or situation/difficulties relevant to the report

Part - II - Introduction

22nd- 23rd April, 2016

Nil

(i) Brief introductionUniversity

of the Akal University has been established underthe Akal University Act, 2015 as a privateUniversity vide Notification No. 26-Leg/2015of 4th June, 2015. The University is promotedand managed by the Kalgidhar Trust!Society-Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh.

(ii) Date of establishment of theUniversity

4th June, 2015. ( Appendix- 2 of annexure-I)

(iii) Brief description of theUniversity and its faculties/courses

Akal University is located at Talwandi Sabo,District Bathinda, educationally the backwardarea of Punjab. The University has beenestablished to cherish the prophesy of 10th

Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh mademore than 300 years ago while passingthrough this area. He blessed this place withGuru-Ki-Kashi. The University currently hasfollowing functional faculties:1. Faculty of Life Sciences:

• B.Sc. (Hons.) Botany leading to M.Sc.(Hons.)

• B.Sc. (Hons.) Zoology leading toM.Sc. (Hons.)

• M.Sc. Botany• M.Sc. Zoology

2. Faculty of Physical Sciences:• B.Sc. (Hons.) Physics leading to

M.Sc. (Hons.)• B.Sc. (Hons.) Chemistry leading to

M.Sc. (Hons.)• M.Sc. Physics• M.Sc. Chemistry

3. Faculty of Mathematics &ComputationalSciences:

• B.Sc.(Hons.) Mathematics leading toM.Sc. (Hons.)

• M.Sc. Mathematics4. Faculty of Economics, Commerce &

Management:• B.A. (Hons.) Economics leading to

M.A. (Hons.)• B.Com (Hons.) leading to M.Com.

(Hons.)• M.Co(Tl

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5. Faculty of Indian & Foreign Languages:• B.A.(Hons.) English leading to M.A.

(Hons.)• B.A. (Hons.) Punjabi leading to M.A.

(Hons.)• M.A. English.

6. Faculty of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Studies:B.A. (Hons.)

Akal University has been established by theKalgidhar Trust/Society, Baru Sahib (HP)registered under the Society RegistrationAct, 1860 (XXI of 1860). The trust is acharitable organization with mission andvision of selfless service to bridge the gap ineducation and health needs of the peoplethrough value based education blended withspiritual rejuvenation.

(iv) Brief description of theTrust/Society that governs theUniversity

Part - III - Summary Report

A. Legal Status

(i) Is the University duly Yes- The University is established under theestablished under the law and Akal University Act, 2015 (Punjab Act No. 25as required in the UGC of 2015) passed by the Legislative council ofRegulations? the Government of Punjab and notified by

the notification No. 26-Leg/2015 of 4th June,2015.

(ii) Is the Trust/ Society involved Yesin promoting the Universitysufficiently focused oneducational activities andindependent of their businessor any other interest, if any?

B. Organization Description

(i) Does the University abide by No off-campus centreUGC Regulations on off-campus centres

(ii) Does the University abide by No off- shore campus centreUGC Regulations on off-Shorecampus centers

(iii) Does the University offer The University does not offer any coursecourses under distance mode under distance mode.with the approval of competentauthority of the Government ofIndia? --1 ,

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C. Academic Activities

(i) Are the courses offered by the The courses offered by the university areUniversity narrowly focused or adequately diverse.adequately diverse?

(ii) Is the list of courses for the Yes.award of degree as per theSection 22 of the UGC Act,1956?

(iii) Is the sanctioned intake is as Yesper the norms/intake sanctionedby the concerned StatutoryCouncil (s) /UGC?

(iv) Whether courses run are Not Applicable.approved by concernedStatutory Council (s)?

(v) Are there adequate support Yesfacilities for students, especiallyfor disadvantaged students?

(vi) Are the students adequately Yesinformed?

(vii) Is there a Grievance Redressal Yes, however needs to be made functional.Mechanism and is that workingProperly?

(viii) Is the University following Yes. the university is at very initial stage.proper procedure for formulationand revision of curriculum onperiodic basis?

(ix) How regular, fair and Transparent.transparent is the examinationsystem?

D. Admission Process

(i) Does the University follow fair Yesand transparent procedure foradmission?

(ii) Do any special reservation on Yesquota follow clearly laid downpolicy?

E. Fee Structure

(i) Are the students sufficiently Yesinformed about the fees andchar es a able?

(ii) Does the University follow its Yesown declared policy incollecting any fees or chargesor are the some charges overand above the publically statedfee structure?

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(iii) Is the mode of fees collection Yes no complaints received during thetransparent or are there interaction with the studentscomplaints of . paymentswithout receipts?

(iv) Are the fees reasonable Appears to be reasonablecompared to costs involved inrunning the programmes andto other similar institutions?

(v) Is the fee structure based on a Yespolicy or guidelines laid downby the Government?

(vi) Is there any indication of the No such indicationUniversity being run solely orprimarily for commercialgains?

F. Faculty

(i) Does the University follow pay Yes.Scales and service conditionslaid down by UGC?

(ii) Is the faculty well qualified and Yes.well trained for the courses?(ifrequired, please makecomments separately for eachfaculty/ department)

(iii) Is the proportion of permanent Adequate.faculty adequate or is theUniversity being mainly run bydeploying contractual faculty/guest faculty/ Part-timefaculty?

(iv) Has the University followed Due process has been followed fordue process for recruitment of recruitment; however, the appointmentsfaculty? have been made by the Promoting Society.

G. Infrastructure

(i) Are the following infrastructurefacilities adequate?~ Land and buildings~ Class Rooms~ Laboratories &equipment~ Library~ Sports facilities~ Residential

accommodation includinghostels

YesYesSufficient for teaching.Needs improvement in terms of resources.Yet to be created.Under construction, however temporaryhostel accommodation for girls available oncampus. For boys rented accommodationoutside the campus.

H. Financial Viability

(i) Does the University have The university is financially dependent on theadequate and independent promoting society which claims to havefunds? sufficient finances.

I. Governance System

(i) Are various authorities and Yes.bodies responsible for thegovernance of the University inplace and working regularlyand properly?

J. Research Profile

(i) How would you rate the Research activities are yet to be undertaken.research profile of theUniversity in terms ofResearch orientation,environment, facilities andoutput?(please give commentsseparately on faculties anddepartments)

K. Miscellaneous

(i) Is the Non-teaching staff Adequate.adequate, well qualified andpaid as per the norms of theconcerned State Government?

(ii) Does the academic result Not applicable, being a newly establishedshow evidence of independent university.and rigorous evaluation prior tothe issue of degrees?

. (iii) Has the University obtained Not yet as the University is in its firstnecessary and desirable academic year.accreditations?

L. Strength and Weaknesses of the University

(i)

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Strengths of the University • Promoting society is well established• With rich academic experience.• The promoting society is financially sound• The University is located in the rural area• The University is having sufficient land for its future

expansion.• Buildings are well designed and constructed as per the

approved plan by the competent authority• Well equipped and adequate in number of class rooms is

available• Proper safety and security measures are in place.• The campus is barrier free.• Adequate electrical power back up is available.• Qualified faculty meeting the required STR available• Transparent examination system

• Transparent admission process with reservation policy of theGovernment.

• Reasonable fee structure with support system to take care ofmeritorious students.

• University stresses upon the value education.• First aid facility with ambulance is available

(ii) Weaknesses of University • Financial dependence on the Society.• Faculty cadre ratio not adequate.• Negligible extra-curricular and co-curricular activities.• IQAC and the Gender Sensitization Committee against Sexual

Harrasment not in place.• Lack of licensed softwares in the computer lab.• No research activities undertaken. The labs are barely

adequate for running practicals for UG and PG.

• Library not available after teaching hours.

• Library does not have sufficient numbers of titles and volumes,and e-resources.

• Inadequate Wi-Fi bandwidth.

• No doctor available on campus to take care of a medicalemergency in the hostel. During interaction with students, itwas brought to the notice of the committee that day scholarsare not provided any medical assistance.

• No provision for boys hostel on campus.• Rudimentary canteen and convenience store.• Negligible sports facilities.• No common room for boys and girls.• No individual faculty rooms available.

Part - IV - Recommendations

A. General Observations and suggestions

• At present Faculty appointments and salary disbursement are made by thepromoting society.

• The rules/guidelines governing the service conditions/leaves/provident fund/medicaletc. to be made available to the faculty and staff as per the government norms.

• The university should make efforts to recruit senior faculty members to meet therequired cadre and to initiate research.

• The academic and administrative procedures should be followed in letter and spirit.

• All relevant information including syllabi should be made available on the UniversityWeb portal.

• Extracurricular and co-curricular activities are to be promoted for overalldevelopment of the students

• Need based vocational courses that cater to the societal aspiration should beintroduced.

B. Operations recommendations which require satisfactory compliance by theUniversity before issue of Approval Letter

• The faculty appointments must be made to meet the required cadre ratio on prioritybasis.

• Doctoral research must be initiated in time-bound manner.• Students-centric activities for holistic and inclusive growth of the students need to be

introduced.• Sports infrastructure should be created.• Expenditure on library books and journals must be made as per the mandatory

requirements of the state government.• The University must function as an independent entity both at the administrative and

financial levels.• Appointments at the statutory positions must be made as per the laid down

procedures.• IQAC and the Gender Sensitization Committee against Sexual Harassment must be

made operational.

C. Final Recommendations

The committee visited the Akal University located at the Talwandi Sabo during April22-23, 2016. The committee examined all the documents, infrastructure, facilities,and also interacted with the promoters, and stake holders such as the students,faculty members and supporting staff.

Based on the interactions and verification of the documents, the committeerecommends that the University should be granted Approval Letter subject tocompliance as mentioned at Part IV "B" above.

Prof. (Dr.) M.P. P iaChairma ~ \t>'-\ \ \ \:,

QLJ,.. )-,,\<II\\!.Prof. Anup Beniwal

Member

~AProf. Arvind B. Patel

Member

~~s>~.y, T 2;;1.. 10 '112...1/6Dr. Aparna '"01xit'

Member

--Dr. Jitendra r. TripathiCoordinating Officer

Place: Talwandi Sabo, Bhatinda

Dated: 23rd April, 2016p~

THE KALGIDHAR SOCIETYSANT ATTAR SINGH HARISADHU ASHRAMP.O. BARU SAHIB (VIA RAJGARH), DISTT. SIRMOUR, HIMACHAL PRADESH -173101Tele: 01799-276091,9816033303 Fax -8831602277 e-mail: secretarykts@barusahib.org

Extract taken from the Minutes of the Meeting of the Governing Body ofthe Kalgidhar Society held at Baru Sahib on 15-05-2015 at 11-00 A.M.

x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x

The Secretary brought to the notice of the members present in the meeting that thebuilding of Akal University at Talwandi Sabo, Distt. Bathinda is now complete.However, a lot of expenditure is yet to be incurred in providing the requiredinfrastructure, setting up of the Laboratories including the LT. Lab and a wellequipped Library etc. The Secretary indicated that more funds would be required toprovide the aforesaid amenities in the University building.

After a brief discussion it was unanimously resolved that if there is any shortfall offunds in development of infrastructure and running of the Akal University, TheKalgidhar Society should meet the required expenses till such time the University isable to incur these costs from its own resources .

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The Kalgidhar Society

{ts9,straFAKa\ Univers\t'lTa\wand\ SaboO\stt. Bathinda (Pb)

AKAL UNIVERSITYTalwandi Sabo, District Bathinda (Punjab)

No. AUTS/REG./2016/.£:8 q Dated: 22.04.2016

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

This is to inform that Akal University is having its current bank account No.32362962902

in the State Bank of India, Talwandi, Sabo, District-Bathinda, which is being operated for

depositing external funding / financial support for sponsored projects.

Further, all the income/ fee are deposited into the accounts of Akal University, Talwandi

Sabo.

However, all the expenditure related to university i.e. revenue and capital over and

above income of the Akal University are handled/paid by Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib

from their account as per the need of Akal University.

~ ~ ().J.#f:::tVlRegistrarAka' UniversityTalwandi SaboDistt. Bath!~da (Pb)

~~~~- . Registrar~"t~~?~$-.~ .AkalLTaiwan.; .~i"'~i 0 ,I.. . _ .Il.)o~\ •••• i.J..) •... ". ~ I",;,·f .•. )•.•• t.t· ..•.._.;,: ;.,;

Website: www.auts.ac.in. Email: registraroffice@auts.ac.in. Contact: Admin: 07837363782

AKAL UNIVERSITYTalwandi Sabo, District Bathinda (Punjab)

No. AUTS/REG/2015/313 Dated: 14/12/2015

The Principal Secretary,Department of Higher Education,Government of Punjab,Chandigarh

Subject: Approval of Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations.

Sir,

Akal University was created vide The Akal University Act, 2015 (Punjab Act No.

25 of 2015) . Kindly find enclosed the copy of the Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations

for your kind approval.

For Akal University\

~CAW~

Registr~r ReqistrarAkal UnJver~JQaIUniversity

Talwandi SaboDistt. B~thina~ (Pb)

Website: www.auts.ac.in. Email: registrar_office@auts.ac.in. Contact: Adm[' :-:o..18~73637~,2')·\,~. 't .~l'""· '. ' ",}",~,'.'~r' 'I '.,~",'

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