ABVP takes up JNU cudgel, makes UGC promise Rs 6.7 crore to varsity

Student activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) met Dr Rajnish Jain, the Secretary of the University Grants Commission, and submitted a memorandum urging a rollback in the increase in hostel fee at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and to give additional concessions to students below the poverty line. They submitted their demands asking the UGC to take necessary action soon. The UGC is believed to have assured them that they will allocate a budget of Rs 6.7 crore for JNU, which was earlier stalled by them.

ABVP Delhi State Secretary Siddharth Yadav said, "We have been continuously demanding the government to increase the education budget and we are clear that no decision should be taken which would hurt the interest of any student.  We asked the University Grants Commission, to re-establish the basic form of fees in JNU. We also demand that additional funds be allocated for the welfare of BPL students."

The UGC has reportedly promised that the said budget will be released after the completion of the necessary formalities, along with the additional budget demanded by the JNU administration to help the poor students, which has been sent to the Ministry for necessary action. "The ABVP has been protesting against the new hostel manual brought about by the JNU administration since its inception. JNU students led by ABVP JNU unit demonstrated outside the University Grants Commission for the same today," said members of the students' organisation.

"ABVP, JNU is committed to preserve the inclusive and affordable study structure of the institution and to nurture it further. For the same purpose, we placed our demands in front of UGC," said Durgesh Kumar, Unit President, JNU ABVP. "We will keep working towards the solutions with all democratic and peaceful means. We will not let this revolution be a medium for the leftist or other self-interested groups and will fight for our right to education," he added.

"JNUSU should ask for forgiveness for doing petty politics and misleading the revolution and the students on the order of their political masters. We will make every possible attempt to maintaining the original fee structure. In addition to this we demand strong action against JNU administration for ignoring the economically weak students," said Manish Jangid, Unit Secretary, JNU ABVP. "We hope that keeping in view the interests of the students UGC will act on our demands soon. We demand that before making such decisions the administration must communicate with all the interested parties," he added.