J&K Higher Education Department discusses budget priorities for 2025-26

JAMMU, NOVEMBER 29: Commissioner Secretary Higher Education, Dr. Rashmi Singh, today held an extensive internal budget meeting to finalise financial plans for the next financial year.The meeting brought together Registrars from universities across the Union Territory and representatives from grant-in-aid colleges.During the discussions, Revised Estimates for 2024-25 and Budget Estimates for 2025-26 were outlined, focussing on the specific requirements of each institution. Special emphasis was placed on addressing placement arrears for major universities, including Jammu University, Kashmir University, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Rajouri and Islamic University of Science and Technology Awantipora. Additional support for three grant-in-aid colleges—Islamia College of Science and Technology, Gandhi College and Vishwa Bharti College Srinagar—was also prioritized.One of the critical issues discussed was the provision of furniture for colleges with completed buildings, where such items were absent from the Detailed Project Reports.The meeting was attended by Director Finance, Director Colleges and other key stakeholders from the department. Registrars, principals and finance officers from the universities and colleges also participated.The department aims to finalise the proposed budget and submit it to the Finance Department within two days. Dr. Rashmi Singh reiterated the commitment to equitable financial allocation, ensuring that all institutions receive the resources necessary to meet their objectives.