Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has strongly criticised the Jammu and Kashmir government for what she called sustained underfunding of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) in the Pir Panjal region, accusing authorities of pushing the institution towards “managed decline” and “deliberate institutional abandonment.”
In a pointed statement and a post on X, Mehbooba Mufti highlighted a dramatic decline in capital allocations to the university, which was established to promote higher education and socio-economic development in the historically marginalised Pir Panjal area. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
According to official data cited by her, capital funding for BGSBU stood at ₹562.50 lakh in 2019–20, peaked at ₹848.43 lakh in 2020–21 and ₹703.88 lakh in 2021–22, before plummeting to ₹422.98 lakh in 2022–23, ₹183.11 lakh in 2023–24, and a mere ₹44.00 lakh in 2024–25. While the allocation saw a slight uptick to ₹187.00 lakh in 2025–26, she described it as grossly inadequate to repair the damage from prior years of neglect.
“These figures expose a shocking pattern of neglect,” Mehbooba Mufti said. “Capital infusion that once crossed ₹700–800 lakh during 2020–22 has been slashed to a mere ₹44 lakh in 2024–25. This is not budgetary prudence. It is deliberate institutional abandonment.”
In her X post, she wrote: “Deeply alarming decline in funding for Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Pir Panjal. Once a flagship institution for a marginalised region, capital infusion has crashed from ₹700–800 lakh (2020–22) to just ₹44 lakh in 2024–25. This is not austerity, it is abandonment. Govt must reverse this in the budget before irreversible damage is done.” She tagged Chief Minister @CM_JnK, urging immediate corrective measures.
Mehbooba Mufti emphasised that BGSBU was envisioned by her father, late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, as a beacon for uplifting youth in a remote and underdeveloped region. “Starving it of funds betrays that vision,” she asserted, warning that continued neglect could inflict irreparable harm on one of Pir Panjal’s premier higher education institutions.
She called on the government to prioritise reversing the funding trend in the forthcoming budget allocations, stressing the need to restore adequate capital support to safeguard the university’s future and its role in regional empowerment.
The criticism comes amid broader discussions on educational infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, with reports indicating ongoing financial strains at BGSBU, including salary deficits and reliance on limited internal resources despite some increases in grant-in-aid for operational costs.
No immediate response was available from the J&K government or university authorities on the allegations. (With inputs from KNS)
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