New Delhi, March 27 Delhi Higher Education Minister Ashish Sood on Friday cited a CAG report on Delhi government universities for 2018-2023 to allege "serious" irregularities in the functioning of the universities and demanded that the findings be referred to the Public Accounts Committee for a detailed examination.
Speaking in the Assembly, Sood said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report flagged financial mismanagement, administrative lapses, and academic shortcomings in the city government-run universities during the AAP dispensation.
"The CAG report clearly shows that there have been serious irregularities in the functioning of universities. Therefore, I urge that this report be discussed in detail in the House and also be referred to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), so that the truth about the misuse of public funds be brought before the people of Delhi," he said.
Sood alleged that the previous government made announcements "without adequate groundwork," and claimed that institutions were launched without adequate infrastructure, academic clarity or long-term vision.
Referring to the report, he said the Delhi Teachers University continues to operate from a school building, while the Delhi Sports University is functioning from "just six rooms in a school".
He also claimed that enrolment in some of the newly established universities remained extremely low and questioned the academic and administrative planning behind them.
On the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University, the minister said the merger of polytechnic institutions into the university had led to uncertainty among students, teachers and staff.
"Today, the situation is such that students and teachers are on strike. Earlier, AICTE-recognized degrees were awarded; now their value is being questioned," Sood said. "Government employees are in a state of uncertainty. These decisions were taken without proper planning."
Sood further said the CAG report had highlighted the absence of a clear admission policy, migration policy and proper mechanisms for college transfers, describing it as a "16-year failure" in the higher education admission system.
He also alleged that audited accounts of universities were not presented before the Assembly for five years, and claimed there had been arbitrary appointments, diversion of funds meant for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) students, and improper utilisation of scholarship money.
"These are not my words — these findings come from the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the country’s highest auditing authority," he said.
The CAG report has already been tabled in the House.
Sood said the report exposed “financial mismanagement, human resource gaps and academic failures” and pointed to issues such as non-accreditation of courses, outdated syllabi, infrastructure deficiencies and irregular affiliations.
"Even with a sample of only three universities, such large-scale irregularities have come to light," he said.
At the same time, Sood said the situation has improved under the current BJP dispensation.
He also said the government has strengthened the startup ecosystem under its 'Campus to Market' vision and provided financial assistance to 100 startups.
The minister added that students have received drone-related orders worth over Rs 200 crore from the Defence Research and Development Organisation and cited student-led innovation, including the development of eco-friendly sanitary pads.