Tag

economics

Browsing

The Department of Economics at Hindu College, Delhi University, conducted its annual fest, L’Economiste, on February 23, 2024. The fest included a speaker session by Mr. Vinod Rai and three competitions, namely, Potentate, Ranjan Roy Memorial Debate, and Hindu Stock Exchange.

L’Economiste 2024, the annual fest of the Department of Economics at Hindu College, was held on February 23, 2024, where economic insights, ideas, and solutions interacted with each other. The inauguration ceremony began with a melodious performance by Alankar, the Indian Music Society of Hindu College. The fest included an engaging and insightful speaker session by Mr. Vinod Rai, the 11th Comptroller and Auditor General of India, at 10:30 a.m. His brilliant sense of humour and intellect shone through his thought-provoking discussions on social auditing, electoral bonds, the vast field of economics, and his personal experiences as he reminisced about his time at Hindu College as a student.

 What are certain things in a person’s life? One is that they say death; everybody is going to die. The other is, what? I refer to it as paying tax. That’s also going to happen to you. The third is the day you were born.

 –  Remarked Mr. Vinod Rai.

A variety of competitions with exciting cash prizes were organised as a part of L’Economiste 2024. The Ranjan Roy Memorial Debate Competition, with debates centred around economic motions and a legacy of 10 years, was a test of both oratory skills and social science knowledge. “Panel, try to understand!” from St. Stephen’s College bagged the first position, with team “Mavericks” from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College being the first runner-up.

‘Potenate’, structured around World Economy and Politics, the second competition in this event, was a perfect amalgamation of auctions, negotiations, crises, and policy formulation. With deeply engaging and highly energetic bidding rounds, this competition offered the participants a policy discourse simulation. Team “Aces” from Hansraj College bagged the first prize, with team “Syndicates” from Ram Lal Anand College and team “Chocolate Cake” from SRCC bagging the first runner-up and second runner-up positions, respectively.

Lastly, the Hindu Stock Exchange offered participants, or rather traders, an opportunity to transport back to the 1990s stock market and indulge in a battle to get themselves declared as the best portfolio managers, cruising through one of the toughest stock market simulations.

“Utkarshharc” from Hansraj College bagged the first position, followed by “CB-sites” from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies and Tamanna Goel and Ujjwal Mittal from Kirori Mal College, begging for the first runner-up and second runner-up positions, respectively.

Rounding up, the flagship event provided in-depth financial global insights for ‘econ-enthusiasts’ and otherwise!

Read Also: Commemorating the Golden Jubilee of the Zoology Department: A Health Check-up Camp at SVC

Featured Image Credits: Himanshu Kumar for DU Beat

Gauri Garg

[email protected]

The suggestion to drop these papers and replace them with new ones comes after the curriculum review being taken by the committee based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

 

The Economic Faculty members of Delhi University from several colleges opposed a suggestion put forth by the Academic Council who met to drop three elective papers, namely, ‘Economy, State and Society’, ‘Production Relations and Globalisation’, and ‘Economics of Discrimination.’ They have sent an appeal to the vice chancellor, Dr. Yogesh Singh to withdraw this decision.

Du Beat later recalled that the Committee has probably recommended the merger of the first two courses into one course and it has altogether recommended the deletion of the third course. These recommendations are to be taken up for consideration in the Standing Committee meeting on 14.06.2023.

Speaking about the ‘Economy, State and Society’ paper, Nandini Dutta, associate professor at Miranda House and member of the Department of Economics’ syllabus sub-committee, said-

“In the AC (meeting), we got to know they are objecting to this paper as they feel there is an overload of Marxist Political Economy. Secondly, they feel many papers are repetitive. This is not true. These are three different papers. In fact, Economics of Discrimination was brought in as there was a demand for Dalit understanding and of economics for the marginalised. All three papers were passed in the department council… we told the AC that… rejecting these papers can do greater harm to our students, post which we wrote to the V-C.”

The points that the faculty members took into consideration before the Committee decided to make a final decision were as follows:

 

  1. The Committee had two specific mandates viz. a) to avoid overlapping similarity between courses and b) to include economics of developed countries in the course content. Given this, “We categorically state here that there are no overlaps whatsoever between these three courses or with any other course in the proposed Economics curriculum. A cursory glance at the course structures and reading lists will clearly establish this. Therefore, the Committee’s decision to merge the courses or delete a course goes against the very mandate the committee was set up with.”

 

They further added,

“Our plea is that all the three courses should therefore not be changed at all because they have been prepared through several rounds of deliberation and have been approved by the Committee of courses, Faculty Committee and the Standing Committee of the AC. Further, they entirely fulfil the concerns of “non-overlapping” and “inclusion of the developed country perspectives”.

 

2. Economics of Discrimination is a newly designed paper covering crucial aspects of discrimination such as caste, race and gender. This is a very topical paper with an absolutely contemporary reading list. It is ironical when in the same AC meeting, the honourable Vice Chancellor has himself taken interest that a course on the economics of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar should be designed, a course on economics of discrimination, which includes the writings of Dr. Ambedkar along with contemporary academic writings, is being eliminated.

Shriprakash Singh, Director of South Campus and standing committee member, said,“This issue was discussed in the AC meeting. Following that, a committee comprising top economists of DU and the country was constituted, which suggested dropping these three papers and replacing them with one paper on Political Economy. We had accepted it and communicated this to the EC.”

Image Credits: The Indian Express

Read Also: DU to Conduct PhD Admissions via CUET from Academic Year 2023-24

 

Aanya Mehta

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

Professors express concern over modifications to the economics curriculum, while the VC claims that it is an attempt to provide students with more options.

Following controversies over removing a chapter on Muhammad Iqbal and adding Savarkar in the syllabus for Political Science students, the University made another move that has sparked criticism. The changes made to the economics syllabus for undergrad students at Delhi University have not been accepted by many, and members of the University’s Academic Council have expressed their concerns.

The two elective papers that caused this debate are Economy, State, and Society and Production Relations and Globalization. These papers contain sections on Karl Marx which the members felt were identical. One of the Academic Council members, Monami Sinha, highlighted that these works are not similar and that Karl Marx is an integral part of the subject. Marx made one of the most significant contributions to the field with his theories that led to the formation of Marxism, although he, like many others, defined production relations, which are explored in the papers cited above.

Furthermore, Sinha claims that this should be viewed from the perspective of an academician and that one cannot and should not remove parts from the curriculum just because they do not align with their ideologies.

“Even if one wants to criticise the theory, it should be taught to students first. The VC has now constituted a committee where this will be revisited. It was suggested that we teach other models as well, which we are already doing” states Monami Sinha.

Yogesh Singh, the Vice-Chancellor of DU, also spoke during the discussion and clarified the situation. He claims that the University should be a platform that provides students with a variety of options and that they are in the process of incorporating other US and European models to broaden the base. He notes that the Core papers contain features of Karl Marx that are already being taught and that there are no changes to that. The goal was to provide students with more options through elective papers.

The committee has previously approved elective papers on Karl Marx and is attempting to introduce new models for students that would include Ambedkar and Gandhi’s economic ideas.

It appears from these statements that the University aims to extend the learning matter for students and that their preferences will be prioritised.

These curriculum changes made for the four-year degrees under the New Education Policy have been strongly discussed among academic circles in recent days. VD Savarkar’s ideals will be taught before Gandhi’s in Semester V, while Gandhi’s will be taught in Semester VII. This would imply that students pursuing a three-year degree curriculum would be unable to study Gandhi.

According to a recent declaration from the VC, this approach has been reversed, implying that the paper on Gandhi will be taught in the fourth semester, followed by Ambedkar and Savarkar in the next two.

With these recent developments, professors and students have continued to express their ideas and concerns about the overall shift and how it may effect students’ learning.

 

Read also: Gandhi Replaced With Savarkar In BA Syllabus Row Erupts In DU 

Image credits: Mint, Google images

Priya Agrawal

[email protected]

Although known and lauded for his invaluable contributions to politics, law and social reform, Babasaheb Ambedkar’s work in the field of economics solicits equal praise.

“Sachin Tendulkar? Mumbai Indians”.

“Amartya Sen? Nobel Prize”.

“Shah Rukh Khan? Filmfare”.

“Babasaheb Ambedkar? Constitution of India”.

These were some of the answers that I received from my subjects when I had conducted a “Free-Association Word Test” on them, wherein the subject is told to state the first word which comes to their mind in response to the given word. Interestingly, every single subject of mine, spread across various age groups, had correlated Ambedkar with the Constitution of India, while there were largely wide ranging replies in case of the other names on my list.

Though certainly not meant to be an accurate quantifier of society’s opinions, this extreme result, while validating the almost unanimous public acknowledgement of Dr Ambedkar’s huge contribution to India’s political and judicial system, also betrays the fact that his equally or arguably more prominent contributions in other fields such as economics and banking – an example being the establishment of the still-functioning Finance Commission of India – are often overlooked or understated by a significant, if not a major, proportion of Indians.

Born in humble surroundings to a family belonging to the often exploited Mahar caste termed as “Untouchables”, Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, had an undying ambition to reform the shackled society that he was born in, and made his way up to the top, going on to get a Bachelor’s degree from the University Of Bombay and then proceeding on to procure two doctorate degrees in Economics from two premier institutions, Columbia University and London School Of Economics (LSE), while also managing to get trained as a lawyer from the prestigious Gray’s Inn at London.

The two dissertations that he wrote for his doctorates in economics at Columbia University and LSE, the first one which discussed the financial relations and financial distribution between central and state Governments, and the second one which was a critique on the Indian Rupee, raised important points of debate and discussion, some of which are still relevant in the current economic system.

Before he shifted course and embarked on a career in law and politics, economics was his foremost area of interest and in 1918 he was appointed for a brief period of time as a professor of political economy at Sydenham College. During that period, he wrote a famous essay on farm land holdings, for publication in a journal run by the Indian Economic Society, titled “Small Holdings In India And Their Remedies”, which still remains an article subject to critical evaluation and analysis by current economists.

Pramit Bhattacharya examines this essay and highlights Ambedkar’s farsightedness and evident mastery of the subject, in an article for LiveMint, titled “The Economics of Ambedkar”, writing “What is most remarkable about Ambedkar’s analysis is that he was able to conceive the notion of “disguised unemployment” much before it came into vogue in development economics, and that he was able to anticipate one of the key insights of Nobel Prize-winning Economist Arthur Lewis three decades before Lewis formulated his famous two-sector model of the economy.”

Dr Ambedkar pointed out that, the sole presence of many places in the country, where there is a combination of a large agricultural population coupled with a very low proportion of land under cultivation, meant that a significant percentage of the agricultural population was sitting idle. This was a forerunner to the idea of “Disguised Unemployment” which came up a few decades later.

While it is not possible to fully summarise in depth the wide reaching topics that Dr Ambedkar touched in his many works, one very significant argument he came up with was that the country was in dire need of industrialisation, which would curb the problem of idle agricultural population as well as smoothen out numerous other complications associated with the agricultural economy.

Besides that, he was against the supporters of minimum state intervention in the economy, or mainly industries and agriculture. He felt that capitalism would go against the principles of economic democracy and that unregulated economic activity would only lead to widening of the economic gap between the rich and the poor, and the exploitation of the latter. Thus he advocated an economy which would be regulated to some extent by the government.

Such ideas might seem common and basic to the current generation, but at that time, with the subject of economics not having been as explored and practiced at depth as it is today, and with old countries breaking up and new ones materializing, the decision of choosing a particular economic system to follow, after independence, was an arduous task. The fact that India’s political and economic framework is not extreme and reflects moderance and has largely remained stable over the decades is a testament to Dr Ambedkar and his fellow policy makers’ successful economic planning.

Apart from research papers and journals, Dr Ambedkar also wrote three books on the subject. He studied the financial and administrative system of the East India Company, and the British India Government in depth, and included many components in the post-Independence models. He is also credited with the establishment of the two most important institutions of the Indian economy, the Finance Commission Of India and the Reserve Bank of India.

Citing fiscal imbalances between the central and state Governments and between state Governments themselves, he conceptualised the Finance Commission in 1951, when he was serving as the Law Minister. Dr Ambedkar had presented an outline and various guidelines with respect to the formation of a central bank to the Hilton Young Commission. Based on these, the Commission came up with a set of recommendations which were later instrumental in the conceptualisation of the Reserve Bank Of India.

“While discussing the multidimensional personality of Dr B R Ambedkar, it is but natural and forgivable to forget that first and foremost he was an economist”, writes Abhinav Prakash Singh for Swarajya. He indeed touched countless lives, was involved in a vast number of fields and played numerous roles during his fulfilling existence as an Indian citizen, and wouldn’t have minded being remembered by his fellow citizens in any of those roles. But as a mark of gratitude and respect for his contributions, we ought to remember every single one of them.

Feature Image Credits : Pam And Phil Blog

Araba Kongbam

[email protected]

 

 

Examining the strategic disinvestment policies of the government, their relevance and otherwise

On November 20th this year, the government announced that it would sell stakes in several public sector undertakings (PSUs) and even give up management control in some. The Central government will cede full management control to buyers in the case of oil marketing company Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR). The government will transfer its 74.2% stake in THDC India Limited (formerly Tehri Hydro Development Corporation of India) and its 100% stake in North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) to another public sector unit and power distribution major, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited.

On the one hand, it is the government’s role to encourage and facilitate a business environment that is conducive to economic growth, and at the same time the competence of the government does not lie in earning profits by the sale of public goods such as coal, steel and power. In tune with its welfare motives, the government always has to spend more than it can earn in terms of revenue through taxes or other means. Hence, additional income from the sale of a stake or disinvesting in a PSUs, tends to be a welcome move for its coffers. This is especially so in the case of India, where it has fallen on to the government to spend high amounts on infrastructure to boost economic growth as well as to deal with its existing expenditure on the health and education sectors.

Historically, since the 1991 era of LPG in the country (liberalisation, privatisation, globalisation) under the PV Narasimha Rao government, there has been an on-off trend of disinvestment in the country’s policies. Arun Shourie, the country’s first Disinvestment Minister in 2006, gave an impetus to the exercise. He is credited with the privatisation of Maruti, Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd., Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited and Hindustan Zinc through the strategic sale process. Even when the Vajpayee government had ceded ownership of a handful of public sector undertakings (PSUs) to private buyers in 2001-02, the move had been met with unrelenting criticism for its pricing and choice of buyers for the exercise. 

The proceeds from strategic sales give the government an extra spending cushion. This fiscal has been a ‘year without precedent’ for the government on the fiscal front. The Reserve Bank of India gave the Central government a record dividend payout of about ?1.76 lakh crore. The joy over this would have been short-lived as the government has had to execute a corporate tax cut — to mitigate the effects of a slowdown — and will suffer an annual loss of ?1.45 lakh crore, according to The Hindu.

So at least meeting the year’s disinvestment target, if not exceeding it, would give the government some respite from the string of bad fiscal news that has been flowing its way.

 

Private owners have an incentive to minimize costs as long as they reap part of the benefit in the form of higher profit. By contrast, if the bureaucrats running the PSUs do a bad job, the losers are the taxpayers and customers, whose only recourse is the political system. Put simply, a way of ensuring that firms are efficiently run, the voting booth is a less reliable option than the profit motive. 

 

Feature Image Credits: NTPC Limited

 

Bhavya Pandey 

[email protected] 

 

Economics is one of the most sought after courses at the University of Delhi (DU). If you are in your last year of pursuing Economics Honours, here are a few career prospects you can explore for yourself.

Economics is a multidisciplinary subject that finds its place in the three verticals of the contemporary Indian education – Science, Arts, and Commerce. It is not everyone’s cup of tea and calls for one to have a knack for it. Here are a bunch of things you could consider after completing your graduation as an Economics Honours student:

     1.Masters in Economics

This option is an ideal and obvious choice for someone who wishes to increase their in-depth knowledge of Economics as a discipline and further consider options in academia. It will allow you to specialise in a certain branch of Economics and comfortably call yourself an expert in the subject. Prestigious institutions in India such as Delhi School of Economics and Jawaharlal Nehru University await you in case to decide to take this up.

  1. Analysis

To gain a headstart in the corporate world, taking up an analysis-based job is a great idea. Be it as an investment analyst or a financial analyst, this field can be considered to be a typical job profile for an Economics graduate who has achieved a good academic record. These options provide you with an excellent chance of getting to work with big multinational giants in the initial years of your career itself.

  1. Think Tanks

Think Tanks are resource bodies that are responsible for the deconstruction of economic phenomenon and issues for the prime purpose of policy interventions and offering recommendations.  Niti Ayog, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, and the Center of Policy Research are among the top think tanks of India that work in the field of public policy and economics where you could consider applying.

  1. Business Journalism

If you have a flair for writing and an understanding of economic events, then this is your go-to option. Research papers, journals, magazines, and newspapers can be your working ground and you can hone both your skills by taking up this career path.

So, get out there, make the most of your learning and create a niche for yourself in a world that is controlled by the reins of economics.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

 

Bhavya Pandey

[email protected]

Read on to know how this indoctrinated system of privilege makes us blind towards the condition of those who come under the reserved categories. 

On entering your University of Delhi (DU) college, you will find people who belong to the reserved categories. Before you pass a quick, seemingly harmless judgement, here are several things you must consider.

  • Equality vs Equity:

Reservation and equality are talked about simultaneously. While reservation is not synonymous to equality, it becomes imperative to know that the reserved and the unreserved categories do not have the same pedestal to start from. High-handed statements about reservation having been there for seven decades, and that there is no discrimination in the ‘India of today’ will instantly evaporate on reading a newspaper, with headlines screaming of caste-based discrimination and violence. 

We must also understand that caste-based and economic discrimination are not very different from each other. In a society where we have certain jobs like manual scavenging, cleaning toilets, etc. ascribed to a particular section of society, we must not take education away from them because it is the only tool that they have to dream of an upward social mobility. 

  • They get it easier:

People who have access to convents and DPSs, with world-class education, and people who don’t even have funds for a decent basic education, write the same board exams, and are marked irrespective of their social background. For that student to score above 75%, with the limited amount of resources is, if anything, more difficult than their privileged counterparts. 

22.5 per cent of the total numbers of seats is reserved in DU for candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (15 per cent for Scheduled Caste and 7.5 per cent for Scheduled Tribes, interchangeable, if necessary), as per DU’s website. And although the numbers vary in different surveys, the amount of SC and ST inhabitants in the country is over 25%. Therefore, to say that every reservation candidate will get into DU is a rather poorly researched argument. 

  • It is time reservations should end: 

“Discrimination is already illegal in India. In fact, so is murder. Yet court after court is acquitting self-confessed brutal mass murderers of Dalits,” Vidyut, Founder of the website Aam Janta, writes. People feel reservations are divisive, and they are. But they are the effect, and not the cause. People should take it upon themselves to end discrimination, and the need of reservation will end, thereof. 

  • The fault in our systems: 

 “If the general category students think they are losing out of seats then their fight should be for more colleges and universities,” says Niharika Dabral, an outgoing student of the Varsity. Rather than ending caste-based reservations, management quotas that reek of nepotism and networking is the real fault that exists in our system. 

For a central educational institution like DU, it becomes a moral responsibility to make sure it has seats reserved for the underprivileged to safeguard their rights because they do not have the kind of money to pay the tuition for privately-funded institutions, let alone give donations to get admitted – as is not uncommon. 

All being said, reservation isn’t the medicine that the society is meant to ingest to cure it of caste-based discrimination. Rather, it is a protective measure that is here to stay till the psychological cleansing has been done, and people recognise each other for what they are – humans. 

Feature Image Credits: Aam Janta

Maumil Mehraj

[email protected] 

Only days after Hon’ble Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman, an M. Phil in Economics from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) presented her maiden financial budget successfully, another Economics graduate from the University of Delhi (DU) has been entrusted as the next Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of The World Bank Group, making her the first woman to hold this prestigious post.

Ms. Kant will be responsible for financial and risk management of the World Bank Group, reporting directly to Mr. David Malpass, Group’s President at Washington D.C. Her duties will include risk management and financial reporting and she will work with the bank’s CEO Kristalina Georgieva on mobilization of International Development Association (IDA),  WB and other financial resources.

As a student of the University, Ms. Kant has an Honours degree in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College and a post-graduate degree in Economics as well  from the Delhi School of Economics.

“Anshula brings more than 35 years of expertise in finance, banking, and innovative use of technology through her work as CFO of the State Bank of India,” quotes Mr. Malpass. 

“She’s excelled at a diverse array of leadership challenges including risk, treasury, funding, regulatory compliance and operations. I look forward to welcoming her to our management team as we work to increase our effectiveness in supporting good development outcomes,” he adds further. 

Over her three-decade long service at the State Bank of India (SBI), Kant rose significantly to emerge as the group’s MD by sheer hard work and dedication, as shared by her colleagues. Kant has also served as Chief General Manager of Mumbai SBI and was Deputy MD of Operations for National Banking Group. Appointed as the MD and member of the Board since September 2018, till the date of her superannuation in September 2020, Kant will now join the league of Aparna Subramani, Saroj Kumar Jha, Sumila Gulyani & other qualified Indian officials holding key positions at the IRDB or World Bank. Since 1965, Indians continue to form the tThird largest Ethnic group at the World Bank earning prestige and honor for the Indian soil, and aspiring millions to achieve such big feats. 

Ms. Anjula Kant is a fine paradigm of global Indian women who are excelling at Banking & Economy;, the likes of Arundhati Bhattacharya,  Archana Bhargava, Usha Ananthasubramanian, and Naina Lal Kidwai being some other worthy mentions, adding to the field’s foster for equality of opportunity. 

Ms. Kant is a huge inspiration for many students, especially those of Delhi University who aspire to achieve these great feat. 

Team DU Beat wishes her very best! 

Feature Image Credits: The Economic Times

Md. Faizan Salik

[email protected]

With the High Court ordering University of Delhi (DU) to scrap the new admission criteria for B. Com. (Hons.) and BA Economics (Hons.), other courses may also be given the same relaxation.

The University of Delhi (DU) has now repealed the new eligibility requirements for admission to the B. Com. (Honours) and BA Economics (Honours) courses. This move comes following the Delhi High Court orders, after a considerate amount of criticism and a plea against the controversial move to include Mathematics in Best Four Subjects aggregate for the two courses.

DU has released a new Bulletin of Information for admission to undergraduate courses on Monday, based on the 2018-19 eligibility criteria. It has been observed that the new eligibility criteria for other courses has similarly been replaced with that of the last year.

The Court had previously called this move arbitrary, and beyond requesting the varsity to repeal it. It also had asked to extend the process till June 22nd, which was previously June 14th. This order has also been implemented.

A bench of Justice Anu Malhotra and Justice Talwant Singh stated, “There is no dispute that you (DU) to be in tune with the times. Nothing prevents you from improving the education standards. No one is saying your decision is not right, but your timing may not be right.” They further added that these criteria can be applied only with six months’ prior notice.

These changes were put forth by recommendations from different departments in the varsity and then needed approval from the Standing Committee, Academic  Council. But the members of the Executive Council, prior to the conundrum, requested the Vice Chancellor in a letter to not give his approval.

While the inclusion of Mathematics in best of four for B.A. Economics (Hons.), and 50% marks in Mathematics for B. Com. (Hons.) are now not compulsorily required. There is currently a requirement of 55% marks in English for B.A. English (Honours) and in Hindi for B.A. Hindi (Honours). B.A. Programme, B.A. Urdu (Hons.), Arabic (Hons.), and Persian (Hons.) also have a new eligibility criterion for 40% in class 10th or 12th in the respective subjects.

Stuti Tanotra, a Delhi University aspirant expressed her joy stating, “Under the new criteria, my Best of Four (BoF) was getting reduced and I was apprehensive about getting a good college for Economics. Now that this has been scrapped, I am very happy my BoF has increased, and now I look forward to studying Economics at DU.”

This change has led to a lot of changes in not just the extending of admissions, but also a delay in releasing cut-offs as well as the dates for the trials of extracurricular activities, and consequently admissions. St. Stephen’s College has also extended its dates and the cut-off for interviews will now be released on June 24th.

Applicants can check the new corrigendum on the University’s official website: http://www.du.ac.in/adm2019/

 

Feature Image Credits: The Times of India

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

 

On 10th June, the Delhi High Court sought the position of the Centre and the University of Delhi (DU) on the plea which challenges the jolting changes made to the admission criteria for two of the most popular courses —  B.A. (Honours) Economics and B.Com (Honours). The Court further went on to call this amendment arbitrary due to its short notice.

This alteration of admission criteria was made a day before the University’s applications for Undergraduate (UG) courses were opened. This unforeseen step took several students by surprise, and raised the level of difficulty as well as complexity with respect to getting admitted to the said course.

After several discontented students contacted him, Sahibdeep Singh, an alumnus of Shri Ram College of Commerce, took up the cause. He first submitted an application to the Dean of Students’ Welfare Office and also started an online petition on change.org. This petition is called Roll Back New Admission Criteria: Request to University of Delhi, which is addressed to Yogesh Tyagi, the Vice Chancellor. It has already achieved 887 signatures and aims to reach 1000.  

The aforementioned plea by lawyer, Charanpal Singh Bagri, insisted that this step was in violation with the principle of natural justice. This plea further seeks to repeal the sudden amendment and urges that the previous criteria should prevail. Two members of the University’s Executive Council and three members from the Academic Council have also written a joint letter to the Vice Chancellor for immediate roll back.

The Court has further asked the Ministry of Human Resource Development represented by Advocate Brajesh Kumar, and the varsity to file its response in four days, by 14th June. That will be the date for the next hearing on this matter.

Devyani Arora, a B.Com (Honours) student commented, “This stand of the High Court has been a ray of hope to the students. The decision will be based on careful consideration, keeping in mind the lakhs of students holding their breath.”

St. Stephen’s and Jesus and Mary College will continue with the previous admission criteria.

Feature Image Credits: Jagran Josh

 

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]