Salaries from savings illegal: DU principals

Salaries from savings illegal: DU principals

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:18.09.2020

Expressing “hurt” and disappointment with the statement of deputy CM Manish Sisodia on colleges funded by Delhi government not using their funds to pay salaries, the Delhi University Principals’ Association (DUPA) hit back at the government on Thursday saying Sisodia’s suggestion of using the institutional savings to pay salaries was “an illegal idea”.

In a statement, DUPA said it was “dismayed by the immature and misleading press statement of the deputy CM, wherein he made unsubstantiated allegations against the administration of Delhi government-funded colleges, charging them with misappropriation of funds and not paying salary from students’ society account.”

The principals said the needs of the 12 government-funded colleges stood at Rs 270 crore for the 2020-21. “Ideally, 75% of the grants, that is Rs 202 crore, should have been released before July. But only Rs 37.5 crore have been released. This is a violation of the Pattern of Assistance communicated to us on January 8 by the Directorate of Higher Education,” the principals’ body said.

DUPA explained that the government gave grants under two heads: plan and non-plan. “It is clearly mentioned in every sanction letter that funds cannot be transferred from one head to the other, the statement said. Jaswinder Singh, principal, SGTB Khalsa College and president of DUPA, emphasised, “The students’ society fund and development fund are collected by colleges governed by University Grants Commission regulations and are used for organising student activities, never to pay salaries.”

The DUPA meeting on Wednesday, attended by over 30 college principals, resolved to meet CM Arvind Kejriwal to express their concern at the government’s view. Poonam Verma, principal of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, was hurt that “our deputy CM comes and praises us in the college and then says that our college is corrupt”.

Refuting gover nment allegations about the colleges not holding governing body election and obstructing audits, Singh claimed the “democratic process” of forming GBs would be “completed soon”, while clarifying that “no college has any audit pending”.

The six colleges accused to not completing the audit process are Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, SSCBS, Bhagini Nivedita, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, Keshav Mahavidyalaya and Maharshi Valmiki College of Education. However, DU Academic Council member Naveen Gaur contested this, saying that “while Delhi government must release funds unconditionally, all colleges do not get an audit done, contrary to DUPA’s sweeping statement”.

In response, a Delhi government official reiterated that some colleges “are depositing their funds in fixed deposits and incessantly demanding money from Delhi government. According to the pattern of assistance, these colleges need to meet all their expenses from the funds they get from various other sources and only in case of shortages after that will they be compensated by Delhi government.” The official said that when the government asked for the accounts related to sources of income, the colleges demurred. “If the colleges do not disclose how they have spent their money, on what basis can the Delhi government release funds?” the official asked.

AN OFFICIAL SAYS

If the colleges do not disclose how they have spent their money, on what basis can govt release funds?