Govt cuts grants to universities to provide loans : The Tribune India

Rohtak, May 7

The government of Haryana has decided to abolish the granting of grants to state universities and will now start a new practice of giving loans instead.

PRIVATIZATION ON THE MAPS?

The government should understand that universities are not commercial enterprises, which will make money and repay loans. This decision indicates that the government wants privatize state universities. - Vikas Siwach, President of HFUCTO

Associations of teachers, students and non-teaching employees of state universities decried this decision and decided to oppose it tooth and nail.

The Haryana Federation of University and College Teacher Organizations (HFUCTO) has called an urgent meeting in Rohtak tomorrow to discuss the issue and map out the future course of action.

"We, together with the representatives of the student and non-teaching employee unions, will meet with the Governor-Cum-Chancellor of Haryana, Bandaru Dattatreya, who is due to visit Rohtak tomorrow," HFUCTO Chief Vikas Siwach said. at The Tribune here today. .

Emphasizing that the decision to stop the grant and provide loans to universities was completely unacceptable, Siwach said they would also meet with the Chief Minister to voice their concerns and demand the withdrawal of the said decision. "The government should understand that universities are not commercial enterprises, which will make money and repay loans. This decision indicates that the government wants to privatize state universities.

Meanwhile, student organizations such as NSUI, SFI and non-teaching employee associations have also condemned the decision and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

The decision is also being decried by members of the fraternity on various social media platforms.

Notably, the Ministry of Finance has given its consent to the proposal of the administrative department to approve a loan of Rs 147.75 crore as the first installment for the state universities for the financial year 2022-23.