Najeeb Jung took Re 1 as Jamia V-C salary,gave rest to fund EWS students

Jamia sources said the rest of his salary — subtracting provident fund and other deductions —was contributed to a fund called “Abba Endowment Fund” set up in the name of a father figure in his life.

The fund,instituted by Jung,provided scholarships to “benefit and uplift the students from the weaker sections of society in general and the Muslim community in particular.”

A day after his appointment as L-G was announced by the President’s office,Jung said the university has managed to do “some good work” with the fund.

“My target was to touch

Rs 1 crore before I left. Obviously,that has not happened — the fund has collected Rs 30 lakh so far. But even if I’m not here,I have found people who are willing to add to that amount,” Jung said. He still has about a year left in his tenure as vice-chancellor.

The fund gets its name from one Abdullah fondly called “Abba” in the Jung household and is said to have served three generations of the family. The Jung family has been living in the capital since 1842 and Abdullah joined them in 1938,sources said.

Jung said there were many in the private sector,including his friends,who were willing to contribute to the Abba Fund. “Interestingly,many of them are not Muslims. I hope to reach that amount (Rs 1 crore) soon,” he said.

The scholarship awarding committee comprises the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Chairperson),the Dean of Students’ Welfare,Finance Officer,and Secretary to Vice-Chancellor (Convenor). Dean of Students’ Welfare Tasneem Meenai said the fund provides scholarships to students who could not go to university as “they were not able to pay their fee” and other such cases.