Mumbai: Amid high-pitched drama by senate members affiliated to Aaditya Thackeray-led Yuva Sena and Bombay University and College Teachers’ Union (BUCTU), Mumbai University’s administration passed the annual budget for 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 968.2 crore, an increase of 9.5% from the previous year, in the bi-annual senate meeting held on Saturday. The senate members staged a symbolic walk-out and a sit-in protest in the well of the house and continued with sloganeering which disrupted the session post lunch for over two hours. The session continued despite the protest.
The members claimed that the university did not present and pass the budget in the management council, the executive body of the university, before presenting it in the university’s senate. The university administration and a majority of the management council members present in the senate, however, claimed that the budget was passed in the council and backed by vice-chancellor Ravindra Kulkarni.
Sheetal Devrukhkar-Sheth from Yuva Sena raised a point of order before the budget was being presented. She said that the budget was not part of the management council meeting’s agenda, it was not discussed there or passed and therefore it cannot be tabled in the senate,” she said.
University’s pro-vice-chancellor Ajay Bhamre clarified that the budget was mentioned on the agenda of the council meeting held on March 12, and was also discussed and passed in the meeting. Many of the senate members backed the university’s stand and agreed that the meeting cannot be disrupted for a few. The protestors, however, continued with the sit-in protest till the end of meeting till about 6pm and continued with their sloganeering against the administration. The budget was passed with the majority.
The university announced several new initiatives, with a big chunk set aside for quality, inclusiveness and excellence. The year’s budget showed a deficit of Rs 147.6 crore. A substantial sum of Rs 75 crore has been made for academic and governance excellence, and initiatives towards strengthening research and innovation, internationalisation of higher education, alumni connect and university-industry collaboration.
This year’s budget gave priority to many development works, including various innovative schemes. A provision of Rs 135 crore has been made for ancillary development works, such as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Research Centre, Prof Bal Apte Hall and Auditorium, and School of Languages Building Phase II, among others.