With a promise made to look after the financial conditions of the various educational institutions, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) big-shot Sharad Pawar recently met a group of office bearers to discuss the financial burden faced by the institutes. Assuring a role of playing a mediator between the education minister, secretary of the department and the office-bearers, Pawar suggested setting up a forum involving education minister, secretary of the department and office-bearers for a dialogue. The meeting which lasted for over one and half hours revolved round the financial burden faced by the educational institutes, the staff crunch and other issues. For last 10 to 15 years, the institutions have not got non-salary grants from the government. Even if they have got a few grants, those were inadequate. They met Pawar as the higher education department is with the NCP.
