DUTA observes one-day hunger strike to protest against non-payment of salaries amid Covid

The Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) observed a day-long hunger strike to protest against the non-payment of salaries to employees of colleges funded by the Delhi government. The DUTA had given the call since salaries have not been paid to the employees of 12 Delhi University colleges that are funded by the Delhi government, the association said. The employees observed the hunger strike from 9 am to 5 pm, it said.

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Teachers communicated their anger using social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter and online platforms such as Zoom, it added. "It is extremely unfortunate and painful to note that three colleges - Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Keshav Mahavidyalaya and Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences - have not paid the salaries of March and will not be able to pay salaries of April to their employees. Other colleges will also fail to pay salaries for April if grants are not immediately released," the DUTA said.

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Withholding of salaries even at normal times is unwarranted but at a time when the entire nation has come together to unitedly fight this COVID-19, the Delhi government is failing to discharge its duty in the matter of sanctioning of grants to these 12 colleges, it added.

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The 12 colleges fully-funded by the Delhi government are Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education & Sports Science, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Shaheed Raj Guru College, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Acharya Narendra Dev College, Bhagini Nivedita College, Keshav Maha Vidyalaya, Maharaja Agrasen College, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, Mahirishi Balmiki College of Education and Bhaskara Charya College of Applied Science. 

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