The Jawaharlal Nehru University administration reportedly owes around Rs 1 Lakh to the vendors who provided services during the 2019 Students' Union elections, alleges the JNUSU. In a letter addressed to the university's Dean of Students, it says that the administration hasn't disbursed the requisite funds to the Election Committee to pay the vendors yet.
The money, according to the EC members was spent on organising the election, right from printing the ballot papers to printing posters and providing food and refreshments. "We were paid around Rs 60,000 in advance, with which we paid the advance to the vendors. This is what happens every year. We pay them the rest of the amount after the administration releases the fund," said an EC member.
"As has been the practice, the responsibility of the JNU administration to disburse requisite funds needed for the conduct fo the JNUSU elections by the Election Committee. However, we have found out that in the last two years particularly has failed to fulfill its responsibility of providing for the election expenditure," reads the letter sent by the JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh, General Secretary Satish Chandra Yadav, Vice President Saket Moon and Joint Secretary Mohammed Danish.
The last JNUSU elections were held a year back, on September 13, 2019. Aishe tells us that usually the election dues are cleared in a period of 4-5 months. "The election committee has already submitted all the bills to the administration. In one tranche it released some amount, but around Rs 1 Lakh is still due," she says. "Usually, during the registration, students pay Rs 15 towards the Students' Union charges. That hasn't been happening since the past two years," she says.
Even though Aishe says that this is a matter between the election committee and the administration, the Students' Union too had to raise its voice against the 'injustice'. The union also demanded the administration to restart collecting the students' union fees.
We have written to the JNU administration seeking a comment on the same. This copy will be updated once they respond.
