Centre for Internet and Society

MHRD IPR Chairs — Underutilization of Funds and Lack of Information Regarding Expenditures

nehaa — 2014-11-19T15:19:18Z

Funds granted to the IPR Chairs set up by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development are often left underutilized. Details regarding the expenditures that are incurred by the Chairs are also currently unavailable. CIS intern Amulya Purushothama examines this further.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Development, Government of India (MHRD) has so far set up around 20 IPR Chairs under the Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach (IPERPO) scheme in various universities across the country.

However, as an Evaluation Committee for the Planning Commission observed last year, this scheme is failing to work for many reasons. Some of them the report says are that many of the IPR Chair positions are left vacant as the MHRD cannot find professors who are suitably qualified for the job, that there is no explicit mandate for activities to be undertaken by the chairs either under the IPERPOS scheme or the letters sanctioning the Chairs, that most of the Chairs only organize one or two day workshops and deliver a few lectures, that the research output produced by these Chairs etc. therefore has been very weak as they haven’t yet identified research questions, Therefore, the grant money under the scheme goes underutilized.

There exists an informational vacuum about the allocation of funds, expenditures of and the functioning of the MHRD IPR Chairs. The MHRD IPR Chair portal intended to provide information about the same is mostly incomplete. Out of the 20 universities where a chair has been set up, around four (CUSAT Cochin, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, and recently NUJS Kolkata) have been vacant for the last year (CUSAT Cochin has only recently reinstated their IPR Chair professor) and two only joined the posts in the last year (Delhi University and IIT Madras) . Only three of the professors have provided details about their research team on the portal (Delhi University, NALSAR Hyderabad and IIT Roorkee). Only IIT Roorkee and NALSAR Hyderabad have put up annual reports on the portal and even these reports do not cover expenditure made under the scheme.

The latest information regarding expenditure under the scheme can only be found in pieces and fragments. CUSAT published a self-study report that states that while Rs.50-60 lakhs are allotted every year, only Rs. 31, 49,950 has been received so far, NLSIU published an accounts report for the year 2012-2013 that states that Rs. 30, 00,000 had been received as of march 2013, but keeps quiet on the expenditure of the same.

The latest information on the issue is available in a 2013 report of an Evaluation Committee of the Planning Commission. The report says that the University of Madras last received funds of Rs.9 lakhs in 2001 and utilized most of it; that out of the Rs.100 lakhs released to NLSIU Bangalore so far, only around Rs.70 lakhs has been utilized as of 2013; that University of Delhi last received Rs.10 lakhs in 2001 and utilized only half of that. Further that CUSAT had so far received funds amounting to Rs.316.05 lakhs as of 2013 and has utilized only Rs.191.05 lakhs.

IIT Kanpur last received Rs.25 lakhs in 2006-07 and utilized Rs.17 lakhs from it; IIT Kharagpur also last received funds in 2009-10 of up to Rs.51.42 lakhs and utilized all of it. IIT madras is shown to have received Rs.25 lakhs in 2006-07 but it is unclear whether that has been utilized at all, IIT Delhi also received Rs.25 lakhs in the same year and utilized Rs.2 lakhs from it. IIT Bombay has received Rs.190 lakhs up till 2013 and has utilized only Rs.135 lakhs.

IIM Ahmedabad is yet to receive any funds. IIM Calcutta last received Rs.10 lakhs in 2007-08 but there is no information on whether that was utilized. IIM Bangalore had, as of 2013, received Rs.105.98 lakhs and utilized only Rs.78.98 lakhs of it.

JNU last received Rs.10 lakhs in 2007-08 but there is no word on whether it was utilized, same is the case with Delhi School of Economics.

NALSAR, Hyderabad had received Rs.111.40 lakhs as of 2013, but had utilized Rs.79.4 lakhs until then. NLU Jodhpur had received Rs.105.00 lakhs as of 2013 and utilized a mere Rs.69 lakhs from the bounty, NLIU Bhopal received Rs.100 lakhs as of 2013 and utilized only Rs.75 lakhs. NUJS had received Rs.90 lakhs as of 2012 and only utilized Rs.75 lakhs. IIT Roorkee had received Rs.30 lakhs as per 2012 and had utilized the entire amount; Tezpur University had received Rs.59 lakhs and utilized only Rs.29 lakhs as of 2013.

This wide variation in allocation of funds and in the utilization of funds, the report says, is due to lack of suitable proposals for seminars, workshops, conferences etc., “non-receipt of requests” for setting up of new Chairs, non-receipt of bills for grants that have already been released and a lack of continued attention to the scheme.

The details of how any of these funds were actually utilized are at present unavailable online. Statistics from the last financial year are unavailable anywhere on the internet as well; CIS has filed a Right to Information request for the same with the concerned authorities.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chairs-underutilization-of-funds-and-lack-of-information-regarding-expenditures

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Introduction

Amulya Purushothama — 2015-09-03T15:17:22Z

In this blog post, Amulya Purushothama announces our new MHRD IPR Chair Series and charts the sequence of events, starting from the establishment of the MHRD IPR Chairs, to discussions surrounding their purpose and functioning, to concerns surrounding the lack of information about the IPR Chairs, the first round of RTIs CIS had filed in regard to this and the responses received. This series will document and analyze further RTIs filed and responses received in this regard.

Special thanks to CIS Intern Aditya Garg for his research and support on this.

Genesis of MHRD IPR Chairs

The Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach (IPERPO) scheme (Scheme) was set up by the Ministry for Human Resources and Development (MHRD) to encourage study of IP rights and research and create awareness about IP matters. The Scheme was also supposed to develop specialized courses, train enforcement personnel, organize seminars and workshops on IPR matters, develop inputs, awareness on WTO matters and evolve strategies of regional co-operation.

It was under this scheme that the MHRD-IPR Chairs were set up. These IPR Chairs were set up in 20 Universities and Institutes across India including 6 in Universities, 6 in IITs, 5 in National Law Universities and 3 in IIMs.

Performance of MHRD IPR Chairs

CIS had reported that the Planning Commission and the MHRD in 2014 organized a stakeholders consultation where they discussed India’s National Program on Intellectual Property Management. Apart from discussing the need to revisit the purpose behind the MHRD IPR Chairs program, One of the documents discussed in the context of evaluating how the IPR Chairs function was the Report of the Evaluation Committee on Continuation of the Scheme of IPERO in the XII Five Year Plan Period 2012-2017 (Evaluation Committee Report).

The Evaluation Committee Report among other things noted that many IPR Chair positions are left vacant, that there is no explicit mandate for the activities to be undertaken by the MHRD IPR Chairs, that most of the Chairs only organize a few workshops and deliver lectures and as a consequence the research outputs produced by the Chairs have been very weak. This leads to underutilization of funds available under the scheme.

The Evaluation Committee Report stated that the IPR Chairs were not performing well due to a number of reasons such as: inability to find a suitable Professor level person to occupy the IPR Chair, absence of qualification-criteria for the IPR chair in the Scheme, lack of focus on research, development of human resource and teaching, non-appointment of adequate staff by IPR Chairs, flow of funds to the IPR Chair being interrupted due to lack of proper documentation, uncertainty about the continuation of IPR Chairs etc.

Informational vacuum around MHRD IPR Chairs

The MHRD launched the MHRD IPR Chair Gateway recently. It was developed by the IPR Chair of NALSAR to serve as a forum where the information about the team of the MHRD IPR Chair, research work done by them, events hosted by them and degrees offered by them are available in one common platform. This gateway is a definite improvement when compared to the website of the Copyright Office which was the central host for the MHRD IPR Chairs earlier.

However, the website is difficult to navigate through and even though the design of the gateway is comprehensive, the information is uploaded by the individual IPR Chairs themselves. The information about some MHRD IPR Chairs is up to date, while some others. None of the Chairs seem to have uploaded the mandated Annual Report of their work.

As CIS has reported earlier there exists an informational vacuum around the activities of the MHRD IPR Chairs, the funds allocated to them and accounts of utilization of these funds. Most of the information that is available can only be found in pieces and fragments. The last near comprehensive account of allocation and expenditure of funds with regard to all the IPR Chairs is the Evaluation Committee Report that dates back to 2013.

The following table shows a matrix of individual MHRD IPR Chairs, their status, and information available about them.

S.No.	Name of Institute	Instituted	Present Status	Last Active	Website	Information Available
1	University of Delhi		Active (since February 2014)		Chair is supposed to be working in Cluster Innovation Centre, DU.	Information present on the MHRD website; no separate dedicated website.
2	University of Madras		Active (Co-coordinator assigned)		None.	None, even on University of Madras website.
3	Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Cochin	2003	Not Active	March 2012	http://ciprs.cusat.ac.in/hrdchair.php Link on CUSAT’s Schools of Legal Studies’ website which is supposed to redirect – broken	Provides information of work done under the Chair till 2012.
4	Tezpur University	2010	Active		http://www.tezu.ernet.in/mhrdipr/index.html	Lists their objects and past activities up to 2012; interestingly the name of the IPR Chair cannot be found on this website, although the name of the Staff is present.
5	National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore		Active		https://www.nls.ac.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65%3Athe-centre-for-intellectual-property-research-and-advocacy-cipra&catid=6%3Aacademic-programmes&Itemid=32	Provides information about their project (developed iprlawindia.org). No dedicated website.
6	Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur		Not Active (site says selection process is ongoing)	June 2010	None.	None.
7	Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur		Not Active	October 2013	None.	None.
8	Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay		Active		Functions under Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT-B (http://www.som.iitb.ac.in/) but no separate website.	Nothing on the SJMSOM website.
9	Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras		Active		Works under Department of Management Studies, IIT-Madras (http://www.doms.iitm.ac.in/) but no separate website.	Annual Report for 2014-15: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4tmyrkdmwvfa3ud/Annual%20Report%20IPR%20Chair%20IITM%202014-2015.pdf?dl=0
10	Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi		Currently on Leave		Works under Department of Management Studies, IIT-Delhi (http://dms.iitd.ac.in/ ) but no separate website.	Nothing on the DOMS website.
11	Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee		Active		http://www.iitr.ac.in/ipr/ - Website of their IPR Cell; doesn’t list the work of the MHRD IPR Chair separately.	Basic activities undertaken by their Cell; nothing in particular about research work done by the Chair.
12	Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi		Active		Works under Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, JNU. No separate website.	No information about the work undertaken.
13	Delhi School of Economics, DU, Delhi		Not Active		None.	None.
14	Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmadabad		Not Active.		None.	None.
15	Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta		Not Active.		None.	None.
16	Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore		Active	2004	No information on the IIM Bangalore website.	None.
17	NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad		Active		Works under N. C. Banerjee Centre for Intellectual Property Rights Studies.	List of activities undertake have been mentioned in the Centre’s working. No separate dedicated website.
18	National Law University (NLU), Jodhpur		Active		http://www.nlujodhpur.ac.in/mhrd_ipr_chair.php	Lists down the work undertaken, events hosted, research, etc.
19	National Law University (NLU), Bhopal		Active		None.	None.
20	West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata		Not Active	December 2013	None.	None

As can be seen, out of the twenty MHRD IPR Chairs, only 13 remain active while the rest have become inactive. The MHRD Chair at IIT Kanpur was last active over five years ago in June 2010. Out of the twenty, 11 IPR Chairs either do not have a website or redirect to a broken link. Out of the 20, fifteen do not provide any information or only provide for outdated information. Only one of the twenty, the IIT Madras Chair, has provided the mandated Annual Report for 2014-2015.

RTIs and Responses

CIS has filed several RTIs before the IPR Chairs asking for information regarding allocation of funds and utilization of funds.

The first round of RTIs filed in November 2014, elicited adequate responses from seven out of twenty IPR Chairs. Among the rest, the IPR Chairs at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Delhi School of Economics, Tezpur University and CUSAT Kerala did not provide information. And IIT Kharagpur sought exemption from providing this information under Section 8(1) (d) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Of those who did respond favorably to the RTI and had received money (five in number), three institutions, NLU Jodhpur, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad and IIT Bombay had underutilized the funds allocated to them. NLSIU, Bangalore had spent more than the allocated funds and IIM, Bangalore had spent the entire amount allocated.

MHRD IPR Chair Series

We have since followed up with the IPR Chairs with further RTI applications and received responses for the same. Updates on the same will now be part of our MHRD IPR Chair Series. Watch this space.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-introduction

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from University of Madras

Karan Tripathi — 2016-02-19T15:34:57Z

This post provides a factual description about the operation of Ministry of Human Resource Development IPR Chair’s Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach (IPERPO) scheme in University of Madras. The author has analysed all the data received under various heads such as income, grants from MHRD, planned and non planned expenditure, nature and frequency of programmes organised and the allocation of funds for the same. Throughout the course of observation and presentation of the analysed data, the author seeks to trace the presence of unjustified underutilisation of funds by the aforementioned university as provided by the MHRD during the period of 2001-2014.

Nehaa Chaudhari provided inputs and feedback.

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to the University of Madras on 16/02/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 19/03/2015. These are the documents received by CIS from University of Madras:

For RTI Response click here (Univ of Madras – Response to RTI)
For complete supporting documents click here (Univ of Madras – Response and Report)

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about University of Madras’ RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at University of Madras from 2001-2014

Reply: According to the documents available with CIS, University of Madras submitted the implementation documents only for the period of 2010-2012. Documents for the period of 2001-2009 and 2013-2014 are not submitted by the University.

Documents indicating the date on which such an IPR Chair was set up at your institution and a copy of the application made by University of Madras to the MHRD for instituting such an IPR Chair and documents received by University of Madras from the MHRD approving the same

Reply: The IPR Chair in the Department of Legal Studies, University of Madras was established in the year of 2001 and it has been in an active state. The documents received by the University from MHRD are also submitted in the form of Syndicate letters.

Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme

Reply: Documents regarding this track are not submitted by the University. On the reply letter the University has mentioned that no such documents are available on records.

Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS Roorkee

Reply: The University has submitted utilisation certificates only for the 2010-2012. According to the documents available with CIS, utilisation certificates pertaining to other financial years are not submitted by the University.

Documents regarding all matters pertaining to finance and budget related the MHRD IPR Chair under the IPERPOs scheme established at University of Madras

Reply: Documents pertaining to this track are not submitted by the University. In the RTI reply the University has mentioned that no such information is available on records.

Details of the IPR Chair’s salary under the IPERPO Scheme indicating whether this amount is paid over and above the professional’s usual salary

Reply: Documents required under this track are not submitted by the University. The University, in the RTI reply, has mentioned that the information sought is voluminous in nature and as it will amount to drain on resources, the information seeker is advised to fix up a prior appointment with the HOD to pursue the records.

2.0 Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document

The Scheme Document of MHRD (http://copyright.gov.in/Documents/scheme.pdf) is a comprehensive document which consists of guidelines regarding Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach. It talks about a list of objectives, purposes, conditions and eligibility criteria for a University to ensure in order to implement IPERPO in a truest sense. This document provides the procedural as well as qualifying conditions for an Institute to ensure or fulfil before applying for the MHRD grant. Some of these conditions include maintenance of utilization certificates, audit reports, expenditure statements and event information which would be open to access on demand by MDHR or Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

Objectives

According to the documents available with CIS, University of Madras has organised certain activities under the IPR Chair to fulfil the objectives mentioned in the scheme document. As part of IPR Teaching, an elective course on IPR was introduced under the Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) for the students in the third semester. In order to fulfil the objectives pertaining to promotion of IPR, the University encourages Master of Law students to select IPR related areas for their dissertation. For furthering its commitment towards IPR research, the University organised a two day national seminar on Emerging Trends in Intellectual Property Rights on 13^th and 14^th October 2011. In addition to this, One day workshop was also organised for the law college teachers from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on 17^th March 2012.

Eligibility

University of Madras is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

3.0 Financial Analysis

As per the documents available with CIS, financial statements and utilisation certificates is only provided for the period 2010-2012. Therefore, this section would go on to analyse this period only and would not be able to provide information for the period 2001-2009 and 2013-2014.

Financial Year 2010-2011

In this financial year, a total amount of Rs. 30,00,000 was received by the University under the IPERPO scheme out of which a sum of Rs. 1,79,000 was utilized for the purpose for which it was sanctioned.

In this financial year the maximum amount of money was utilised for the salary of the Research officer. As stated earlier, expenditure statement for the costs incurred on other heads are not mentioned by the University.

Financial Year 2011-2012

In this financial year, a total amount of Rs. 30,00,000 was sanctioned to the University by MHRD out of which a sum of Rs. 7,61,614 was utilized for the purpose for which it was granted.

In this financial year also the maximum amount of money was spent on the salary of the Research Officer.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-university-of-madras

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from Tezpur University

Karan Tripathi — 2016-04-26T16:27:55Z

Throughout the course of observation and presentation of the analysed data, the author seeks to trace the presence of unjustified underutilisation of funds by the aforementioned university as provided by the MHRD during the period 2013-2014.

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to the Tezpur University on 16/01/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 05/02/2015. These are the documents received by CIS from Tezpur University:

For RTI Response click here (Tezpur Receipt of RTI). Also see Tezpur Forwarded Response
For complete supporting documents see (Tezpur- Annual Report, Financial Statement, Report on IPR Cell)

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about Tezpur University’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

1. Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at Tezpur University from 2003-2014

Reply: Tezpur University has submitted detailed documents for the period 2013-2014 in order to highlight various activities undertaken by the University to implement the IPERPO scheme. This information is sent to CIS through summary documents, notices and newsletters.

2. Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme

Reply: The University received a grant of Rs.25,00,000 from MHRD under the IPERPO scheme for the period 2013-2014.

3. Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at Tezpur University

Reply: The University has submitted the utilisation certificate for the period 2013-2014 along with the expenditure statement.

4. Documents regarding all matters pertaining to finance and budget related the MHRD IPR Chair under the IPERPOs scheme established at Tezpur University

Reply: As per the documents submitted to CIS, the proposed budget for the period 2013-2014 is not submitted by the University. However, the budget for the period 2014-2015 is submitted and the sum of Rs. 49,79,231 is proposed by the University.

2.0 Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document

Objectives

In order to fulfil the objectives mentioned in the scheme document, Tezpur University undertook following activities:

Conducted courses in the mainstream undergraduate, post graduate and PhD programmes
Facilitated assessment and IPR filings of university innovations
Field work on Geographical Indication: Muga Silk of Assam
Training of IPR Officers
Outreach programmes at Dilbrugarh University and Silchar
Colloquium on Contemporary Physics and the Role of IPR
Training programmes on traditional knowledge and communication with stakeholders

Eligibility

Tezpur University is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

3.0 Financial Analysis

Tezpur University received grants in two instalments for the same financial year (2013-2014). The first instalment was sanctioned on 19^th August 2013 and the second instalment was sanctioned on 26^th March 2014.

Financial Year 2013-2014

In this financial year a total grant of Rs. 33,00,000 was sanctioned to the University in two instalments of Rs. 25,00,000 and Rs. 8,00,000. Out of this, a total sum of Rs. 35,24,446 was utilised by the University.

It is clear from the above drawn chart that the maximum amount of money was spent on the salaries of Chair Professor and his staff.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-tezpur-university

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from NUJS

nehaa — 2016-05-15T07:51:55Z

The author has analysed all the data received under various heads such as income, grants from MHRD, planned and non-planned expenditure, nature and frequency of programmes organised and the allocation of funds for the same. Throughout the course of observation and presentation of the analysed data, the author seeks to trace the presence of unjustified underutilisation of funds by the aforementioned university as provided by the MHRD during the period of 2013-2014.

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to NUJS on 09/02/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 24/02/2015.

These are the documents received by CIS from NUJS:

For the RTI application filed by the CIS, click here
For the reply to the RTI application, click here

NUJS did not entertain the RTI and furnished no documents for perusal.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-nujs

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from NLU, Jodhpur

nehaa — 2016-05-26T02:03:42Z

Nisha S. Kumar assisted in compilation of the document.

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to NLU, Jodhpur on 09/02/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 12/03/2015.

These are the documents received by CIS from NLU, Jodhpur:

For the reply to the RTI application click here
For the proposal to establish the IPR chair at NLU Jodhpur click here

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about NLU, Jodhpur’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at NLU, Jodhpur.

Reply: NLU, Jodhpur has submitted the documents required under this track for the period of 2008-2015. To view the relevant documents, download the file (2008-09 –Part one,Part two and Part three; 2009-10 – Part one, Part two, Part three and Part four; 2010-11 – Complete; 2011-12 – Part one and Part two; 2012-13 – Part one and Part two; 2013-14 - Complete; 2014-15 - Complete).

Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme
Reply: NLU, Jodhpur has submitted the documents required under this track for the period of 2008-2010 and the financial year of 2013-2014. To view all the documents submitted by the University in reply,click here.(nlu jodhpur F. No. 10.2008-IC’)
Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at NLU, Jodhpur.
Reply: The University has provided utilisation certificatefor the period of 2008-11 and 2013-14. To view the supporting documents, click here. (nlu jodhpur Utilisation Certificate’)

Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document

A. Objectives
In order to fulfil the objectives mentioned in the scheme document, NLU Jodhpur undertook following activities:

Introduction of UG and PG level courses on IPR
Conducting lecture series on the subject of IPR.
Conducting multiple workshops over the years to further the training of teachers as well as at a student level
Hosting numerous conclaves on the subject of IPR and their relation to business
Providing short term course on training of teachers in the field of IPR
Held various symposiums, seminars and conferences for the furtherance of IPR
Invited esteemed professors from the field for guest lectures
Established an IPR library in the IPR cell

B. Eligibility
NLU, Jodhpur is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

Financial Analysis
A.Financial year 2008-09

The University received a grant of Rs. 14,00,000 out of which it utilized Rs. 11,90,115 for the implementation of the IPERPO scheme leaving an unspent balance of Rs. 2,09,885.

B. Financial year 2010-11

First installment

The University incurred an expenditure of Rs. 11,27,740 against a grant of Rs. 15,00,000 leaving an unutilized balance of Rs. 3,72,260.

Second Instalment

The University incurred an expenditure of Rs. 26,21,369 against a grant of Rs. 40,00,000 leaving an unspent balance of Rs. 13,78,631 as unutilized balance.

C. Financial year 2013-14

The University incurred an expenditure of Rs. 16,86,566 against a grant of Rs. 36,00,000 leaving an unspent balance of Rs. 19,13,434.

Expenditure Analysis

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-nlu-jodhpur

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from NLSIU

nehaa — 2016-05-27T16:15:49Z

Nisha S. Kumar assisted in compilation of this blog post.

The author has analysed all the data received through which, the author seeks to trace the presence of unjustified underutilisation of funds by the aforementioned university as provided by the MHRD during the period of 2013-2014. To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to NLSIU on 17/11/2014 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 18/12/2014.

These are the documents received by CIS from NLSIU:

For response to the RTI application click here
For documents related to the establishment of NLSIU's IPR cell and IPR chair click here

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about NLSIU’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at NLSIU
Reply: NLSIU has submitted the documents required under this track. To view all the documents submitted by the University in reply,click here.
Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme
Reply: Documents pertaining to the period of 2004-2013 and 2013-14 have been submitted by the University. To view the supporting documents click here and here.
Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at NLSIU.
Reply: The University has provided utilisation certificate for the period of 2004-2014. To view the supporting documents, click here

Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document

A. Objectives
In order to fulfil the objectives mentioned in the scheme document, NLSIU undertook following activities:

Introduction of UG and PG level courses on IPR
Introduction of PhD fellowships in the field of IPR.
Conducting multiple workshops over the years to further the training of teachers as well as at a student level
Hosting numerous conclaves on the subject of IPR and their relation to business
Providing short term course on training of teachers in the field of IPR
Held various symposiums, seminars and conferences for the furtherance of IPR
Invited esteemed professors from the field for guest lectures
Established an IPR library in the IPR cell
Website on IPR launched

B. Eligibility
NLSIU is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

Financial Analysis 2004-05

The University received a grant of Rs. 5,00,000 out of which it incurred an expense of Rs. 9,33,241.

B. Financial year 2008-09

The University incurred an expense of Rs. 14,90,890 against a grant of Rs. 20,00,000 leaving Rs. 5,09,110 as unspent balance.

C. Financial year 2009-10

The University incurred an expenditure of Rs. 23,53,552.17 against a grant of Rs. 15,00,000 and a carried forward balance of Rs. 5,09,110.

D. Financial year 2010-11

The University did not receive any grant, however, it incurred an expenditure of Rs. 32,88,478.

E. Financial year 2011-12

The University received a grant of Rs. 36,67,080 and incurred an expenditure of Rs. 32,11,663 leaving Rs. 4,55,417 as unspent balance.

F. Financial year 2012-13

The University incurred an expenditure of Rs. 37,87,391 against a grant of Rs. 30,00,000 and a carried forward balance of Rs. 4,55,417.

G. Financial year 2013-14

The University incurred an expendiute of Rs. 45,31,927 against a sanctioned grant of Rs. 45,00,000.

Expenditure Analysis for the Financial Year 2012-13

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-nlsiu

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from NALSAR

nehaa — 2016-05-15T07:43:20Z

The author has analysed all the data received under various heads such as income, grants from MHRD, planned and non-planned expenditure, nature and frequency of programmesorganised and the allocation of funds for the same. Throughout the course of observation and presentation of the analysed data, the author seeks to trace the presence of unjustified underutilisation of funds by the aforementioned university as provided by the MHRD during the period of 2013-2014.

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to the NALSAR University of Law on 09/02/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 12/03/2015.

These are the documents received by CIS from NALSAR:

For the response to the RTI application click here
For complete supporting documents click here

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about NALSAR’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at NALSAR
Reply: NALSAR has submitted the documents required under this track.
Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme
Reply: Documents pertaining to the financial year 2013-14 have been submitted by the University.
Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at NALSAR.
Reply: The University has provided utilisation certificatefor the financial year of 2013-14.
Details of the IPR Chair’s salary under the IPERPO Scheme indicating whether this amount is paid over and above the professional’s usual salary
Reply: The University has submitted all the documents pertaining to the aforementioned query.

Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document
The Scheme Document of MHRD (http://copyright.gov.in/Documents/scheme.pdf) is a comprehensive document which consists of guidelines regarding Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach. It talks about a list of objectives, purposes, conditions and eligibility criteria for a University to ensure in order to implement IPERPO in a truest sense. This document provides the procedural as well as qualifying conditions for an Institute to ensure or fulfil before applying for the MHRD grant. Some of these conditions include maintenance of utilization certificates, audit reports, expenditure statements and event information which would be open to access on demand by MDHR or Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

A. Objectives
In order to fulfil the objectives mentioned in the scheme document, NALSAR undertook following activities:
a. Faculty attendance at WIPO sessions.
b. Publication of IPR Journal
c. Expansion of the IPR section in the loibrary
B. Eligibility
NALSAR is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.
Financial Analysis
The University has provided the utilization certificates for the financial year of 2013-14.
A. Financial year 2013-14

The University received a grant of Rs. 40,00,000 from the Ministry of Human Resource and Development. Further, the unutilized balance of the financial year 2013-13, Rs. 10,02,540 carried over in addition to an interest of Rs. 91,129. The total funds at the University’s disposal amounted to Rs. 50,93,669. The University incurred an expense of Rs. 37,88,349 leaving Rs. 13,05,320 as unspent balance.

B. Expenditure Analysis

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-nalsar

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from JNU

nehaa — 2016-05-15T03:43:30Z

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi on 18/12/2014 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 24/02/2015. Subsequently, a second RTI application was filed by the Centre for Internet and Society on 09/02/2015. The University replied to the same on 26/03/2015.

These are the documents received by CIS from JNU:

For the response to the first RTI application click here
For the response to the second RTI application click here
For the report submitted by the University click here

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about Jawaharlal University’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at JNU.
Reply: The University submitted that there has been a release of Rs. 10,00,000 as a sanctioned amount by the MHRD under the IPERPO scheme. However, the same has not been utilized in any manner to further the objectives of the scheme. The reason is that the University believes this amount to be inadequate and has requested additional funds from the MHRD.

Documents on the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO scheme at JNU for the year 2013-14.
Reply: The University clubbed the answer to this with the aforementioned query.
Documents relating to receipts of utilization certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO Scheme for the year 2013-14 at JNU.
Reply: The University has not provided any such documents in relation to the grant received.

Documents regarding all matters related to finance and budget related to the MHRD IPR Chair under the IPERPO scheme 2013-14 established at JNU.
Reply: The University did not submit any documents in this regard and replied that this information may be sought from the concerned Centre/School.

A. Objectives
The University has submitted that there have been no activities undertaken to further the objectives of the IPERPO scheme.

B. Eligibility
Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

Financial Analysis
The University has not provided any documents on this subject.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-jnu

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from IIT, Kharagpur

nehaa — 2016-05-15T06:19:57Z

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to IIT, Kharagpur on 25/11/2014 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to the same was received on 17/12/2014. Following this, a second application was filed on the 10/03/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 17/04/2015.

These are the documents received by CIS from IIT, Kharagpur:

For the reply to the first RTI application click here
For the reply to the second RTI application click here
For the documents detailing the proposal for the setting up of IPR chair in IIT, Kharagpur, click here
For the documents detailing the minutes of the meeting regarding the setting up of the IPR chair in IIT, Kharagpur, click here

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about IIT, Kharagpur’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at IIT, Kharagpur
Reply: IIT, Kharagpur has submitted the documents required under this track.
Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme
Reply: Documents pertaining to the year 2006 and 2013 have been submitted by the University.
Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at IIT, Kharagpur.
Reply: The University replied that it has not received any confirmation from the MHRD regarding the mentioned documents.

Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document
The Scheme document of MHRD is comprehensive document which consists of guidelines regarding Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach. It talks about a list of objectives, purposes, conditions and eligibility criteria for a University to ensure in order to implement IPERPO in a truest sense. This document provides the procedural as well as qualifying conditions for an Institute to ensure or fulfil before applying for the MHRD grant. Some of these conditions include maintenance of utilization certificates, audit reports, expenditure statements and event information which would be open to access on demand by MDHR or Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

A. Objectives
In order to fulfil the objectives mentioned in the scheme document, IIT, Kharagpur undertook following activities:
a. Conducting multiple workshops over the years to further the training of teachers as well as at a student level
b. Hosting numerous conclaves on the subject of IPR and their relation to business
c. Providing short term course on training of teachers in the field of IPR
d. Held various symposiums, seminars and conferences for the furtherance of IPR
e. Hosted various interactive platforms regarding IPR
f. Undertook research collaborations in IPR
B. Eligibility
IIT, Kharagpur is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

Financial Analysis
The University has not provided documents regarding any financial analysis.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-iit-kharagpur

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from IIT, Kanpur

nehaa — 2016-06-04T03:35:09Z

Nisha S Kumar assisted in compilation of the document.

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur on 16/02/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to the same was received on 27/02/2015.

These are the documents received by CIS from IIT, Kanpur:

For the RTI application filed by the CIS click here
For the reply to the RTI application click here

IIT,Kanpur did not entertain the RTI and furnished no documents for perusal.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-iit-kanpur

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from IIT, Delhi

Karan Tripathi — 2016-02-22T02:46:38Z

The author has analysed all the data received under various heads such as income, grants from MHRD, planned and non planned expenditure, nature and frequency of programmes organised and the allocation of funds for the same. Throughout the course of observation and presentation of the analysed data, the author seeks to trace the presence of unjustified underutilisation of funds by the aforementioned university as provided by the MHRD during the period of 2003-2014. To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi on 19/11/2014 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 16/12/2014. These are the documents received by CIS from IIT Delhi:

For RTI Response click here <Response to Nov RTI >
For complete supporting documents click here <Response and Report >

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about IIT Delhi’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at IIT Delhi from 2003-2014

Reply: IIT Delhi has submitted all the documents in order to highlight the implementation of IPERPO scheme in the University for the period 1992-2011. Documents for the period 2012-2014 are not submitted by the University

Documents indicating the date on which such an IPR Chair was set up at your institution and a copy of the application made by IIT Delhi to the MHRD for instituting such an IPR Chair and documents received by IIT Delhi from the MHRD approving the same

Reply: At IIT Delhi, the IPR Chair under the IPERPO scheme was appointed in October 2007. All the supporting documents are submitted by the University

Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme

Reply: All the documents regarding the release of grants are submitted except for the period 2012-2014. The University mentioned in its reply that it did not receive any grant for the financial year 2013-2014.

Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at IIT Delhi

Reply: The University has provided utilisation certificates only for the period 2009-2011.

Documents regarding all matters pertaining to finance and budget related the MHRD IPR Chair under the IPERPOs scheme established at IIT Delhi

Reply: No documents are provided for information sought under this track. In its reply the University mentioned that the query put forward by CIS is not specific.

Details of the IPR Chair’s salary under the IPERPO Scheme indicating whether this amount is paid over and above the professional’s usual salary

Reply: The University has submitted all the documents pertaining to the aforementioned query.

Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

A. Objectives
In order to fulfil the objectives mentioned in the scheme document, IIT Delhi undertook following activities:
a. Faculty Development Program on IPR
b. Two MBA projects on IPR were introduced
c. Certificate courses on IPR & IP Services
d. National Conferences on IPR
e. IPR Related Research Publications

B. Eligibility
IIT Delhi is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

Financial Analysis
The University has provided financial documents such as utilisation certificates and statements of expenditure only for the period 2010-2011. No documents are submitted for the period 2007-2009 and 2012-2014. The first grant of Rs. 25,00,000 was given to the University in 2006.

A. Financial Year 2010 -2011

In this financial year, a sum of Rs. 4,71,127 was sanctioned to the University out of which a sum of Rs. 1,45,000 was utilized and Rs. 3,26,127 was left as unspent balance.

In this financial year, the maximum amount of money was spent on salaries of the Chair Professor and his staff. Almost equal amount of money was utilised for organising workshops and procuring stationary.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-iit-delhi

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from IIT, Bombay

Karan Tripathi — 2016-02-22T14:34:19Z

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay on 17/03/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 10/04/2015.

These are the documents received by CIS from IIT Bombay:

For RTI Response click here <IIT Bombay - Response to RTI >
For complete supporting documents click here <IIT Bombay – Response and Report >

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about IIT Bombay’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at IIT Bombay from 2013-2014

Reply: IIT Bombay has submitted the documents required under this track. However, detailed documents highlighting the manner of implementation are not submitted by the University.

Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme

Reply: The University received a grant of Rs. 35,00,000 from MHRD on 12th December 2013 for incurring expenditure under IPR Chair activities under the scheme for Promotion of Copyright & IPR.

Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at IIT Bombay.

Reply: Utilisation certificate for the financial year 2013-2014 is submitted by the University.

Documents regarding all matters pertaining to finance and budget related the MHRD IPR Chair under the IPERPOs scheme established at IIT Bombay

Reply: The University has provided expenditure statement for the period 2007-2014

Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document

A. Objective
In order to fulfil the objectives mentioned in the scheme document, the University undertook following activities:
a. Granted two Ph.D. Fellowships
b. Introduced foundations courses at UG, PG Level and two full courses on Intellectual Property
c. Organised 2nd International Conference on MIPS 2014
d. Organised workshops on Patents and IP Policy
e. Enhanced the stock of IP books, journals and databases

B. Eligibility
IIT Bombay is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

Financial Analysis

A. Utilization Details for the Financial Year 2013-2014

In this financial year, a grant of Rs. 35,00,000 was received by the University from MHRD which was added to the carried forward balance of Rs. 13,05,914. Out of the total amount of Rs. 48,05,914, a sum of Rs. 15,66,179 was utilized by the University for the purpose for which it was sanctioned.

B. Expenditure Analysis

This figure highlights that the cumulative expenditure for the period 2007-2010 is almost double the amount of expenditure incurred in other financial years. After this period, the maximum amount of money was spent in the financial year 2011-2012 and the least was spent in the financial year 2013-2014.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-iit-bombay

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from IIT Roorkee

Karan Tripathi and Nehaa Chaudhari — 2015-11-21T07:26:45Z

Nehaa Chaudhari provided inputs, analysed, reviewed and edited this blog post.

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee on 6/02/2015 by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 16/02/2015.

These are the documents received by CIS from IIT Roorkee:

For RTI Response click here (IIT Roorkee -Receipt of RTI- 20.4.15)
For complete supporting documents click here (IIT Roorkee – Response and Report)

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about IIT Roorkee’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links.

Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at IIT Roorkee from 2003-20014
Reply: The University documented the minutes of the Departmental Faculty Committee Meeting where proposals for forming Departmental Administrative Committee, syllabus for new institute electives, duties of Departmental Research Committee, forming Institute Time Table Committee, conversion of existing LR1 computer lab and teaching scheme of autumn semester 2013 were deliberated upon. The University also organised various events such as Training of Trainers programme and International Conclave on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Documents indicating the date on which such an IPR Chair was set up at your institution and a copy of the application made by IIT Roorkee to the MHRD for instituting such an IPR Chair and documents received by IIT Roorkee from the MHRD approving the same
Reply: According to the Office Memorandum (dated 04 May 2012) of IIT Roorkee, Dr P.K. Ghosh had been appointed on the position of Professional Chair on IPERPO with effect from April 27 2012. A suitable financial grant of Rs. 208.02 lakhs was demanded for a period of five years.
Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme
Reply: As it appears from the reply filed by IIT Roorkee to the RTI filed by the CIS, Rs. 30,00,000.00 of the Grant in aid was sanctioned to the University by the MHRD during the financial year 2010-2011 and nil amount was utilized for the purpose of it. At the end of the year, the balance sum of Rs. 30,27,041 (including the interest) was surrendered to the Government.
Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at IIT Roorkee
Reply: IIT Roorkee has replied with a series of Statement of Expenditure ranging from 2010-2014 that explains its rate of expenditure and amount of interest accumulated and surrendered to the Government along with the unutilized amount. In the financial year 2011-2012 the unutilized expenditure was 3,105,159.00 which came down to 11,74, 026.00 in 2012-2013 due to which a grant of Rs. 24,00,000.00 was extended to the University by MHRD for the financial year 2013-2014.
Documents regarding all matters pertaining to finance and budget related the MHRD IPR Chair under the IPERPOs scheme established at IIT Roorkee
Reply: CIS did not receive any sort of clarity on matters pertaining to finance and budget related to MHRD IPR Chair under the IPERPO scheme as the response for this question was coupled with the previous question on utilization certificates.
Details of the IPR Chair’s salary under the IPERPO Scheme indicating whether this amount is paid over and above the professional’s usual salary
Reply: According to the RTI reply, the position of Chair Professor is awarded for a period of three years or upto 68 years of age, whichever is earlier. The pay of Chair Professor is fixed as per the rules and guidelines of Professional Chair in the institute.

2.0 Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document

The Scheme Document of MHRD is a comprehensive document which consists of guidelines regarding Intellectual Property Education, Research and Public Outreach. It talks about a list of objectives, purposes, conditions and eligibility criteria for a University to ensure in order to implement IPERPO in a truest sense. This document provides the procedural as well as qualifying conditions for an Institute to ensure or fulfil before applying for the MHRD grant. Some of these conditions include maintenance of utilization certificates, audit reports, expenditure statements and event information which would be open to access on demand by MDHR or Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

A. Objectives:

As it appears from the reply statement of IIT Roorkee, each and every event organised after the establishment of IPR Chair in 2012, where the funds from the grant have been utilized, is done to promote the scholarly as well as academic interests in the field of Intellectual Property. Even before applying for the MHRD grant, the University has organised many National Seminars and has started various short term courses in order to encourage research and excellence in Intellectual Property. This fact completely resonates with the core objective of MHRD scheme document, i.e. strengthening the academic and research discourses in the field of Intellectual Property.

B. Eligibility:
IIT Roorkee is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

C. Conditions for Grant of Assistance
There are several conditions laid down in the scheme document which need to be fulfilled by the concerned University in order to successfully receive the grant. The underlying condition is the dissemination and development in the field of Intellectual Property Rights.

According to the documents available with CIS, IIT Roorkee has organised at least 27 events in the field of IPR ranging from introduction of new electives, National Workshops and Symposiums, Expert Lectures, Infrastructure Development, Online portals for IP Administration and awareness and infrastructure development.

3.0 Financial Analysis of IIT Roorkee’s IPR Grant

According to the RTI reply, the IPR Chair at IIT Roorkee was established in the forenoon of 27th April 2012 with Dr P.K. Ghosh as its Chairman. Dr Ghosh was promised an Honorarium payment of Rs. 30,000 per month and a Contingency payment of Rs. 20,000 per month.

3.1 Financial Year 2010-2011

In this financial year, the IPR Chair was not established at IIT Roorkee. The total grant received by the University was Rs. 30, 00,000.00 out of which Rs.0 was utilized for the purpose of it was sanctioned.

At the end of the financial year, the remaining amount of Rs. 30,00,000, (due to Nil utilisation) along with the interest of Rs. 27041 was either surrendered to the government or adjusted towards the grants-in-aid payable during the next financial year.

3.2 Financial Year 2011-2012

The IPR Chair was still not established at the University. The opening balance was the amount carried forward from the previous year (30,27,041) upon which interest of Rs. 1,17,117 was received making the total receipt to be 31,144,158. Out of this, a total of Rs. 38,999 was utilised for travelling and miscellaneous expenditure. At the end of the year, the remaining of amount of Rs. 3,105,159 was either surrendered to the government or adjusted towards the grant-in-aid payable during the next financial year 2012-2013. As per the documents available with CIS, the statement of expenditure for this financial year has not been submitted by the university.

3.3 Financial Year 2012-2013

In this financial year the IPR Chair was established with Dr. P.K. Ghosh as its Chairman. The Opening balance was the amount carried forward from the previous financial year (31,05,159) upon which an interest income of Rs.1,25,376 was received along with a refund of advance amounting to Rs. 42,968. Out of the total receipt of Rs. 32,73,503 the total expenditure of the University on the current financial year was Rs. 20,99,477. The remaining amount of Rs. 11,74,026 was either surrendered to the government or adjusted towards the grants-in-aid payable during the next financial year 2013-2014.

3.4 Financial Year 2013-2014

In this financial year, the University received a grant of Rs. 24,00,000 from the government along with the amount carried forward from the previous financial year (Rs.11,74,026) upon which an interest income of Rs. 55,892 was received. Out of this, a sum of Rs. 24,01,045 was utilised as contingency expenditure. The remaining amount of Rs. 12,28,873 has been either surrendered to the government or adjusted towards the grants-in-aid payable during the next financial year 2014-2015.

In this financial year, the expenditure on library (5,00,979) is the only sum which exceeded the sanctioned amount (5,00,000). Moreover, there has been no expenditure on Outreach Program and Clinics. The honorarium payment to the IPR Chair Professor is similar to the sanctioned amount (3,60,000) but there’s a difference in his contingent payment (1,39,645 instead of 2,40,000). The total amount of expenditure in this financial year is Rs. 24,01,045.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/mhrd-ipr-chair-series-information-received-from-iit-roorkee

MHRD IPR Chair Series: Information Received from IIM, Bangalore

nehaa — 2016-05-21T09:13:30Z

To collect the information for the given study, an RTI application was filed to the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore by the Centre for Internet and Society. The reply to RTI application was received on 16/12/2014. There was a further correspondence through email between the University and CIS following which additional supporting documents were provided by the University.

These are the documents received by CIS from IIM, Bangalore:

For response to the RTI application click here
For response to the email click here
For the report provided by IIM, Bangalore click here

Hereinafter, in order to receive any information about IIM, Bangalore’s RTI reply, kindly refer to the above mentioned links. Following are the queries mentioned in the RTI application along with their replies.

Reports on the implementation of the IPERPO scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the implementation of the MHRD IPR Chair funded under the scheme at IIM, Bangalore
Reply: IIM, Bangalore has submitted the documents required under this track. To view all the documents submitted by the University in reply, click here.
Documents detailing the release of grants to the MHRD IPR Chairs under the IPERPO Scheme
Reply: Documents pertaining to the financial years2005-06, 2007-08 and the period of 2012-2013 have been submitted by the University. To view the supporting documents click here.
Documents relating to receipts of utilisation certificates and audited expenditure statements and matters related to all financial sanctions with regard to funds granted to the MHRD IPR Chair established under the IPERPO scheme at IIM, Bangalore.
Reply: The University has provided utilisation certificate for the period of 2007-2014. To view the supporting documents, click here.
Details of the IPR Chair’s salary under the IPERPO Scheme indicating whether this amount is paid over and above the professional’s usual salary
Reply: The University has submitted the extract pertaining to the aforementioned query. To view the supporting documents submitted by the University, click here.

Comparative Analysis between University Response and the guidelines of MHRD Scheme Document

A. Objectives
In order to fulfil the objectives mentioned in the scheme document, IIM, Bangalore undertook following activities:
a. Introduction of electives at PGP and PGSEM level.
b. Promoting IPR related publications and case writing.
c. Provided input to the MHRD on matters pertaining to IPR.
d. Conducting multiple workshops over the years to further the training of teachers as well as at a student level
e. Hosting numerous conclaves and conferences on the subject of IPR and their relation to business
f. Held various symposiums, seminars and conferences for the furtherance of IPR
B. Eligibility
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore is recognized by the University Grants Commission. Therefore, it fulfils the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme document.

Financial Analysis

A.Financial year 2007-08

The University received a grant of Rs. 5,00,000 with an incurred expenditure amounting to Rs. 7,45,000.

B. Financial year 2008-09

The University received Rs. 10,00,000 as a sanctioned grant by the MHRD out of which an expense of Rs. 1,09,307 was incurred. After settling with last year’s due balance, the unspent balance amounts to Rs. 8,95,000.

C. Financial year 2009-10

The University did not receive any grant from the MHRD in this year, however it utilized completely the carried forward balance of last year.

D. Financial year 2010-11

The University did not receive any grant from the MHRD in this year, however it incurred an expenditure of Rs. 38,84,000 in the implementation of the IPERPO scheme.

E. Financial year 2011-12

The University received a grant of Rs. 61,53,000 and incurred an expenditure of Rs. 60,89,295 leaving an unspent balance of Rs. 63,705.

F. Financial year 2012-13

The University received a grant of Rs. 27,00,000 from the MHRD which, in addition to the previous year’s carried forward balance amounted to Rs. 277,63,705. Out of this, the University utilized a sum of Rs. 25,35,206 for the purpose for which it was sanctioned leaving Rs. 2,28,499 as unspent balance.

G. Financial year 2013-14

The University received a grant of Rs. 23,50,000 from the MHRD which, in addition to the previous year’s unutilized balance amounted to Rs. 25,78,499. The university incurred an expense of Rs. 27,19,349.

Expenditure Analysis

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