Fund crisis at 12 Delhi govt-funded DU colleges will be resolved soon: Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, University of Delhi’s (DU) Vice Chancellor Prof. Yogesh Singh and others at DU’s 101st Annual Convocation, in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said the fund crisis at the 12 Delhi government-funded Delhi University affiliated colleges will be resolved soon as the BJP has come to power in the Capital.

“I told them [12 colleges] not to worry as it is only a matter of months before the issue gets resolved,” Mr. Pradhan said while addressing the 101st convocation ceremony of the DU.

In 2023, Aam Aadmi Party senior leader Atishi, then Delhi’s Education Minister, had written to the Union Education Minister over “several serious irregularities and procedural lapses involving hundreds of crores” in the Delhi government-funded colleges.

Ms. Atishi had also suggested that the Centre either direct the university to disaffiliate the 12 colleges, following which the Delhi government would bring them under its control, or that the colleges remain affiliated with the DU, with the Centre taking full responsibility for funding them.

However, the university had said that any attempt to disaffiliate these colleges from it would be “neither legally justified” nor in the interest of their students and staff members.

‘Matter of pride’

Mr. Pradhan said the appointment of BJP MLA-elect Rekha Gupta as Chief Minister of Delhi is a “matter of pride” for the DU as she is its alumna.

Calling the DU a “frontrunner” in implementing National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Union Education Minister said NEP has been playing a key role in bringing the country closer to ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India).

A total of 623 scholars received their PhD degrees, and 83,902 students were awarded undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.