Commitee asked to compare JNU's revised fee with other central varsities

The HRD Ministry communicated this to the three-member committee in a letter on Tuesday

The HRD Ministry has asked the high-powered committee appointed by it to compare the hostel fee structure of JNU, after the second rollback, with other central universities, an official said on Wednesday.

The ministry communicated this to the three-member committee in a letter on Tuesday.

"We have sought a clarification on the matter. The members will have to analyse the fee structure of different universities and get back to us. They have not been given any deadline," the official said.

The university has been witnessing a stand-off between the administration and students over a hike in the hostel fee. The students have demanded a complete rollback of the hike.

The high-powered committee, constituted by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry to restore normal functioning of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), had submitted its report last week.

Sources said the details sought by the HRD Ministry are separate from the report.

The committee will hold a meeting to decide on the universities it will take into consideration for comparison and will be only comparing their hostel fees with that of JNU.

JNU has constituted an internal seven-member high-level committee to look into the issue. In its report, the committee recommended a 50-per cent concession in utility and service charges for all students and 75-per cent concession for students below poverty line.

This was the second rollback announced by the varsity. The first rollback was announced in mid-November.

Students have rejected both the rollbacks and have been on a strike for over a month against the fee hike.

The JNU Students' Union has said almost 17 centres have decided to boycott the semester examinations scheduled to start from December 12.

The university on Tuesday said those "who do not appear in exams will lose their studentship".