The Delhi government has released an additional Rs 100 crore for 12 colleges fully funded by it under Delhi University (DU). This release, approved by Chief Minister Atishi, aims to address ongoing financial difficulties that have disrupted operations and affected faculty and staff benefits, officials said.
In April last year, the government had released its first tranche of Rs 100 crore for these colleges, followed by the second tranche of Rs 100 crore this July.
The relationship between the government and these colleges has been contentious, with the government insisting that funds would only be released if governing bodies were constituted according to rules. Teachers, however, have accused the government of delaying salaries.
The latest installment is part of a broader budgetary allocation of approximately Rs 400 crore for these colleges in the current financial year. “Since the AAP government came to power, funding for these colleges has tripled. In 2014-15, these colleges were allocated Rs 132 crore, which has now increased to approximately Rs 400 crore in the current financial year,” the government said in a statement.
“Under the guidance of (former CM) Arvind Kejriwal, education has always been our top priority,” Atishi said. She stressed that the largest share of the state’s budget has consistently been allocated to education since AAP took office. The government’s focus has extended beyond primary and secondary education to higher education, with three new universities being established and existing institutions being expanded. “The 12 fully funded DU colleges play a crucial role in higher education in Delhi,” she added.
In recent years, there have been allegations of financial mismanagement in some of these colleges, along with delays in salaries and stalled medical and pension benefits for staff and teachers. “With a focus on the welfare of teachers and ensuring their medical and pension benefits, which were stalled due to financial mismanagement, the Delhi government is releasing Rs 100 crore in the third quarter for these 12 Delhi University colleges,” the statement added.
In January, the government stated that it would only continue funding if these institutions were de-affiliated from DU and became part of one of Delhi’s state universities. This statement followed a letter from DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, asserting that these colleges would remain with DU and the state government should maintain funding.
The 12 fully funded colleges are Acharya Narendra Dev College, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, Bhagini Nivedita College, Bhaskaracharya College, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Maharaja Agrasen College, Maharshi Valmiki College of Education, Shaheed Rajguru College, and Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.
