DUTA Protest on Aug 21 Over Release of Grants for Colleges, Salaries Pending Since May
Representational Image. Image Courtesy: DU Beat
New Delhi: The Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) said on Tuesday that it will hold a protest on August 21 if the city government does not release adequate grant-in-aid for the 12 DU colleges fully funded by it.
The DU and the Aam Aadmi Party government have been locked in a tussle over formation of governing bodies in 28 colleges fully or partially funded by it.
The DUTA said that governing bodies have been formed in nine out of 12 colleges fully funded by the government but due to the ''inadequate'' grants released by the government, salaries have not been paid to staffers since May.
On August 6, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's office issued a statement alleging corruption in the 12 DU colleges.
In an online briefing, the DUTA called these ''unsubstantiated allegations''.
"It is obvious that this is another ploy for their callous and inhuman act of not releasing the required Grant-in-Aid to these colleges, as a result of which employees in these colleges have gone without salaries for several months," said DUTA president Rajib Ray.
Ray said employees have gone without salaries for the past four months for no fault of theirs.
"For the past one year or more, the sanction of grants to the 12 colleges, 100 per cent funded by the Delhi Government, has been sporadic and inadequate. Inordinate and unexplained delays in release of grant have had a crippling effect on institutions. This is totally unacceptable, more so in the current context, when employees are battling health and livelihood issues," he added.
Most colleges have not paid salaries from the month of May. In some colleges, employees only received a part of their salary for the month of April, he claimed.
The Delhi government had released grants in aid for paying salaries in three instalments (final Instalment for 2019-2020 toward salaries from January to March), and two for financial year 2020-21.
On release of each of these instalments, it was brought to the notice of the Delhi government that the grants sanctioned were highly inadequate and not enough to cover salaries for the said periods, he said.
Colleges have not received any Grant-in-Aid for the month of June, July or August, according to the DUTA president.
The DUTA has given a call for protest at Mandi House on August 21, if the government does not release adequate grants for the colleges.
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