Crores spent but no glory for Nalanda University | RTI story

To find out the current status of Nalanda University after a decade of its establishment, India Today filed a Right to Information (RTI) query with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which is the nodal body for this university.

With much fanfare in 2010, the Nalanda University was opened in Bihar on the back of a political dream to revive the ancient glory of the university, which historians say was one of the oldest seats of learning in the world. S. No Designation No of Positions Basic Pay 1 Vice Chancellor 1 USD 80,000.00 2 Professor 3 USD 30,900.00 3 Professor 1 USD 30,000.00 4 Registrar 1 USD 30,000.00 5 Finance Officer 1 USD 30,900.00 7 Associate Professor 1 USD 31,847.00 8 Assistant Professor 1 USD 23,339.80 Annual Grants Received From Government Financial year Grant Received (Amount in INR) 2010-11 2,00,00,000 2011-12 7,12,00,000 2012-13 11,50,59,955 2013-14 9,15,00,000 2014-15 17,00,00,000 2015-16 31,67,00,000 2016-17 80,23,00,000 2017-18 1,50,00,00,000 2018-19 1,90,00,00,000 2019-20 3,00,00,00,000 2020-21(upto 31.12.2020) 1,65,00,00,000 Total 9,63,67,59,955 Contribution From Foreign Countries Name Amount (INR) PR China 512,17,500 Thailand 71,60,754 Laos 27,03,178 Indonesia 18,54,525 Switzerland 6,37,05,000 South Korea 7,37,432 Australia 5,54,89,229 Total 18,28,67,618 The ancient Nalanda University was built sometime in the 5th century BC. It braved several invasions, and was finally ransacked and destroyed by Turkish military general Bakhtiyar Khilji in around 1200 AD. The ruins of the university have withstood the ravages of time refusing to disappear altogether, serving as a reminder of its lost glory. (Per annum)* The modern Nalanda University takes inspiration from its ancient precursor. Its mandate is to be an “international institution for the pursuit of intellectual, philosophical, historical and spiritual studies”.