By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has given financial powers to vice-chancellors of state-funded universities to spend up to Rs five crore for any new work.

The finance department has issued an order following the approval of Lt Governor Anil Baijal. The order, that was issued yesterday, has come into force with immediate effect.

Last month, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said that vice-chancellors of Delhi government-funded universities would soon be able to carry out on their own work that cost up to Rs five crore per annum, a move which he had described as a "major reform" to ensure "autonomy" of these institutions.

"In exercise of powers conferred under the Rule -13 of delegation of Financial Power Rules, 1978, the Lt Governor, Delhi, is pleased to delegate the following financial powers to the vice-chancellors of the universities being funded by GNCTD of Delhi," the department said in its order.

According to the order, the VCs of such universities can now take up new works that cost up to Rs five crore if they are executed through the Public Works Department (PWD) It also stated that for repair and maintenance works, VCs can spend up to Rs one crore per annum if the work is awarded to agencies other than the PWD.

Delhi Technological University and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University are among the universities that are full funded by the Delhi government.

VCs of these universities earlier did not have such financial powers and they were dependent on the government for sanction of works that they might need to undertake on an urgent basis.