Neglect Affects Sanskrit Academy

[Raguraman]

Neglect Affects Sanskrit Academy

http://www.deccan.com/City/CityNews.asp

 

HYDERBAD, INDIA, April 14, 2004: The Sanskrit Academy and Research

Institute continues to be neglected even after the Rashtriya Sanskrit

Samsthan, a wing of the Ministry of Human Resource and Development,

took over its management. The institute, which is one of its kind in

south India, has not received any grants for the past four years. With

no financial support from either the State government, Osmania

University or the HRD Ministry, the officials have rented the first

floor of the premises to eke out the maintenance costs. The first floor

of the institute was meant for the Telugu Academy. In 2000, the

institute received a grant of US$11,000, but from then the institute

has been struggling to keep itself afloat due to the lack of funds. The

HRD Ministry took over the maintenance of the institute in the same

year by bringing it under the Rashtriya Sanskrit Samasthan. In spite of

this, the condition of the institute has been deteriorating. The

arrears of the staff working in the institute have been pending for 15

years. The total number of staff including the director of the

institute is just six. Presently, the institute has managed to publish

as many as 62 publications which have been recognised by the HRD

Ministry. "This is the only Sanskrit research institute in South India.

We are just about managing to do skeletal work. The lack of funds has

broken the back of the institute," an official from the institute said.