Seeking to portray transparency in fund-utilisation for sprucing up the Herbal Garden in Bharathiar University, amid questions of financial propriety raised in academic circles, the coordinator of the project has spelt out the break-up of the expenditure that depicts a little over ₹22 lakh remaining unspent out of the ₹50 lakh allocation.
Developed under the RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) 2.0 and The Bharathiar Cancer Theranostics and Research Center (BCTRC), the four-acre Herbal Garden encompasses 2,000 plants representing 300 different taxa of rare and endangered medicinal species.
Expenditure has been incurred so far on plant purchase (₹1,37,639), manure (₹49,208), purchase of tools, farm accessories and drip irrigation paraphernalia (₹2.14 lakh), purchase of pots (₹72,055), contingency (₹76,990), JCB for trenches (₹1.67 lakh), green house (₹4.96 lakh), fencing (₹4 lakh), review meeting (₹10,960), fuel (₹2,600), and gardener (₹11.54 lakh). Three gardeners were engaged for the last three years.
Altogether, ₹27.83 lakh has been spent, said K. Vasanth, Associate Professor, Department of Botany, in his capacity as Coordinator of Herbal Garden.
“In reality, the rare medicinal plants in the garden were carefully sourced from different regions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu based on their specific growing conditions. Since such plants can only be collected from their native habitats, they cannot be procured through a tender process like research equipment. Extensive field studies were conducted before acquiring and preserving these plants,” Prof. Vasanth said, adding: “The garden additionally serves as a valuable resource center for school and college students, farmers, and the general public, addressing their needs for medicinal plants.”
The public tender process was adopted for constructing the green house and fencing the garden.
Unlike the usual botanical gardens with arboretums, glass houses, green houses, shade houses, and aquatic habitat mimics, medicinal plants are nurtured in ground-raised beds in the garden located at the foot of Maruthamalai Hills, a diversity-rich part of Western Ghats.
The university, department sources added, had initiated efforts for integration of traditional medicinal practices into scientifically valid systems of medicine, and had also submitted a proposal to the National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, for funding to expand the garden area.
The Botany Department is looking forward to culturing the tissues of the endangered plants and providing them to farmers for commercial cultivation.
Published - February 11, 2025 06:45 pm IST
