Gyanodaya Express chugs on, despite DUTA allegations

“Around 100 students will be given special training to acquire basic working knowledge of eight different languages of the Northeast under special certificate courses to be run by DU,” Malay Neerav, media co-ordinator and joint dean of student welfare, DU, said.

The students, who will be accompanied by around 100 teachers, will be selected from colleges on the basis of project proposals and will be divided into groups of 11-15 with a mentor each. Each group will have at least one member from the Northeast.

The projects are to be based on ideas that aims to provide a deeper understanding of the region’s richness and its contribution towards the well-being of the nation, Das said.

During the trip, students will get to meet representatives of local universities as well as senior functionaries from the Northeastern states, Das said, while adding that issues related to citizenship, national integration and ideals propounded by eminent leaders would be addressed.

“During the halts, students will have a chance to meet representatives of local universities as well as senior functionaries of the Northeastern states, including governors and other dignitaries,” Neerav said.

In a recent white-paper, the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) accused vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh of being involved in financial and administrative irregularities in DU, including trips organised on the Gyanodaya Express.

“In 2012 the vice-chancellor introduced another of his pet projects, the ‘Gyanodaya Express’ without either discussion or decision by the statutory bodies. No evaluation was made of its usefulness either before its introduction or afterwards. But crores of rupees have been spent on each trip. According to information provided in response to RTIs on the subject, the costs for two trips were Rs 198,30,408 (2012) and Rs 148,82,182 (2013) respectively,” the white-paper reads.

“At a time when the university is planning another of these trips, we urge the visitor or the Ministry of Human Resource Development to intervene to make the university answerable about the source of funds for the last trips,” Nandita Narain, president of DUTA, said.