On April 3, 2017, National Students Union of India (NSUI) carried out a protest march to the Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development demanding revocation of UGC gazette notification. The students also raised their concern over the grant of autonomy status to Delhi University colleges. The march was organized from NSUI office to nearby office of Human Resource Development Ministry.
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The students demanded the HRD Ministry to revoke the gazette notification issued by University Grants Commission that has become controversial. The students also indicated that HRD Ministry shall rollback the plan to grant autonomy to colleges that are affiliated to Delhi University.
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During the march, the police tried to stop the students from moving further with the help of barricades. The students ran into a minor scuffle with the police, as they were restricted to carry out the march.
The recent gazette notification issued by University Grants Commission slashed M.Phil and Ph.D. seats in Jawaharlal Nehru University. Earlier, the intake of these courses was more than 900 and now, it has been reduced to 100 across all the centres of the varsity. The notification or order issued by UGC also limited the number of Ph.D. and M.Phil scholars that a faculty member can guide.
Vivekanand Pathak, National Secretary of NSUI revealed that the government’s move to grant autonomy to DU colleges is an underhanded move. The government is planning to privatize these colleges in the name of autonomy.