NEW DELHI: A Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report tabled in Parliament on August 12 flagged serious lapses in financial management and project execution at institutions under the higher education system, including three Delhi University colleges and Gandhigram Rural Institute in Tamil Nadu, which had opened its centre in the capital without prior permission.
In one case, the CAG found that three Delhi University colleges, including Ram Lal Anand College, Shivaji College and Shaheed Bhagat Singh (Evening) College, failed to collect the University Development Fee (UDF) at the revised rate of `600 per student, resulting in a cumulative revenue shortfall of `2.01 crore.
The DU Executive Council had approved the increase in the UDF from `300 to `600 per annum in July 2011, with the revised rate applicable from the 2012-13 academic session. The decision was formally notified, and colleges were again instructed in June 2012 to collect the enhanced fee and remit it to the university.
However, Ram Lal Anand College continued to collect the fee only from first-year students for several years. This resulted in a short collection of `71.99 lakh from nearly 12,000 students. Shivaji College collected `300 instead of `600 between 2012-13 and 2020-21, leading to a shortfall of `99.49 lakh from 33,162 students. Shaheed Bhagat Singh (Evening) College followed the old rate until 2016-17, resulting in another Rs 32.30 lakh shortfall.
The CAG also criticised the manner in which Ram Lal Anand College attempted to make up a good part of the deficit. Funds intended for student welfare and other institutional purposes were used to settle UDF arrears. The audit said this amounted to diversion of funds. It also highlighted weak monitoring by DU, which was responsible for ensuring that colleges collected and remitted the prescribed fee.
In another finding, the CAG examined the construction of a new academic building at Zakir Husain Delhi College. The project, approved in 2009 at an estimated cost of `33.40 crore, was revised several times. Despite expenditure of `78.12 crore by November 2022, the building remained unused.
Construction began only in 2017, years after the project management consultant was appointed. The audit attributed the delays to administrative bottlenecks, pending approvals, unauthorised construction and poor coordination. The college also split the project into two packages without obtaining the required fresh approvals and used interest earnings from grants to bridge funding gaps. The building faced further problems, including persistent basement flooding and recurring cracks. Even after construction was completed, the occupancy certificate and formal handover remained pending as of July 2025.
The report also exposed an unauthorised expenditure of `3.20 crore by Gandhigram Rural Institute, Dindigul, on a centre in Delhi. The institute established the centre in 2017 without prior approval from the Ministry of Education or the UGC.