Affiliating status for Anna varsity

By K. Ramachandran

CHENNAI, SEPT. 14. With the Legislature passing the Anna University (Amendment) Act, 2001 today, the Chennai-based University has been converted into an ``affiliating university.''

All the 222 Government, aided and self-financing engineering Colleges in the State, will be affiliated to Anna University. The students admitted to these colleges, will from this academic year (2001-2002), come under the purview of Anna University. It will have complete academic control over the engineering colleges and the powers necessary to administratively and academically monitor the institutions to achieve academic excellence, it is officially claimed.

Established in 1978 as a unitary university, Anna university offers higher education in engineering, technology and allied sciences, besides promoting research and academic-industry partnerships.

Originally, Anna University comprised the College of Engineering, Guindy, the Madras Institute of Technology (at Chrompet), the A.C College of Technology and the School of Architecture and Planning.

An official release said all engineering colleges would now come under one roof and these colleges which were hitherto following different syllabi would follow a uniform syllabus prescribed by Anna varsity. Students already admitted to the different universities prior to 2000-2001 would continue their courses in the respective universities and obtain degrees/diplomas from the universities concerned.

Unlike other universities, almost all the members of the Syndicate and Academic Council of Anna University are nominated by the Chancellor on the recommendation of the Vice- Chancellor, so that the VC had greater degree of control over the university affairs. These powers of the VC would be continued even after the conversion into an affiliating type, to enable Anna University achieve ``the highest academic standards in technical education in the country.''

As per the new Act, the Syndicate would have the Secretaries of Higher Education, Industries, Information Technology and Law departments, besides the Director of Technical Education as ex- officio Syndicate members. The other members of the Syndicate to be nominated by the Chancellor on the VC's recommendations include two Deans, one Chairman of the Faculties, two Professors/Heads of departments, one Director of a Center, four public and private sector representatives, two members from the Academic Council, four senior professors and principals of affiliated colleges and one MLA.

The Act provided for affiliation and approval of colleges by the principal University, which could also grant `autonomous status' to the individual institutions.

The financial memorandum, appended to the Bill, said the conversion would involve additional expenditure for the Government, including Rs. 5 crores required to establish administrative and examination centres at the main campus and two regional centres.

Besides making a token provision of Rs. 1,000, the additional liabilities of the new Technical University would be examined critically, it added.

Rs. 1 cr. for research on medicinal plants

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, SEPT. 14. The Central Government's Department of Bio- Technology has sanctioned a grant of Rs. 1 crore to Anna University, Chennai, for research involving the development of screening medicinal plants available from traditional healers in south India for specific biological activity.

The approach will involve the use of certain molecular targets in host cells to evaluate the efficacy of these medicinal plants by monitoring the mode of action on these cellular molecules.

The project envisages the development of automated ``high throughput screening technology'' using modern robotics to screen a large series of medicinal plants for specific biological activity, namely, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and immune modulatory properties.

The Centre for Bio-Technology has already filed and obtained patents for two new molecules showing anti-cancer properties, a University release said.

The research group is currently negotiating with pharmaceutical companies for licensing these modules.

Prof. A. Kalanidhi, Vice-Chancellor, said this was a major attempt to utilise the natural resources of medicinal plants available in south India in developing new and innovative drugs for fighting diabetes and cancer.

The research is to be carried out under the leadership of Prof. Arun Balakrishnan at the Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University.

Dr. R. A. Viswakarma, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, and Dr. V. K. Singh, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, will comprise the research team, the release said.

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