New Delhi, November 22: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has issued a statement explaining the rationale behind the rise in fees. It informed that the university has a deficit of more than Rs 45 crores, which is largely due to the huge electricity and water charges and also in paying the salary of the contractual staff.

According to an ANI tweet, JNU further clarified, "There is a misinformation campaign which says that there is a massive hostel fee hike. In reality, service charges are being levied, which have been zero so far. For sustainability of budget which has run into a huge deficit, it's necessary to levy service charges in the hostel." JNU Hostel Fee Hike: JNUSU Remains Defiant, Says Will Continue Protest Until Demands Are Met.

Check ANI tweet:

 

The HRD ministry had called the members of the JNU students’ union for a meeting on Wednesday with the high-power committee constituted by the ministry to look into the issues concerning the university.

On Thursday, the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) met the HRD Ministry-appointed high-powered panel and demanded a complete rollback of the hiked hostel fee, besides removal of the university’s vice-chancellor. There have been massive protests inside the campus over the last few weeks due to the sudden increase in fees. The university on November 13 announced a partial rollback on the proposed hike in the hostel fee. The JNU administration further proposed a scheme for economic assistance to students from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 22, 2019 08:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).