Calcutta, Feb. 21: Bengal today had a name added to its list of 11 universities affiliated to the University Grants Commission (UGC).

M.M. Chaudhuri, the vice-chancellor of the West Bengal University of Health Sciences, said: ?A letter from the UGC authorities informing us about the decision reached today. We are happy to have got the UGC recognition in record time.?

The UGC had conducted an inspection of the university six months ago.

After the inspection report went in its favour, the university sent the final application for the registration last month.

The undergraduate and post-graduate courses offered by the institution at present have already been approved by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).

The UGC being a central funding agency, the first benefit that the institution will get because of the recognition is that it will be able to seek funds for development of infrastructure and research.

?We need money immediately for our buildings. We will approach the UGC for the required financial assistance,? the vice-chancellor said.

The varsity is now housed in buildings that earlier housed the police hospital at Salt Lake. The non-descript structures can put any university to shame.

An official of the institution said: ?Now that our university is registered under the University Grants Commission, all our academic activities will be constantly monitored,?

?Such monitoring will help us maintain standards on a par with other any other university anywhere in the country.,? he added.

The health university was set up in 2003 to bring medical education in the state under an umbrella.

All state-run undergraduate and post-graduate medical colleges in Bengal are now affiliated to the university. The private institutions that the state government plans to give the go-ahead to will also be under it.

Before the university was set up, the medical colleges were affiliated to state-aided universities like Calcutta, Burdwan and North Ben gal.

There are two more universities of health sciences in the country ? one in Hyderabad and the other in Pune. Both are registered with the UGC.

A West Bengal University of Health Sciences official said: ?The University Grants Commission had looked into the space, number of teachers, courses offered and procedure of selection of faculty of our university before giving the nod to the affiliation?.