Rs 161 crore Delhi University loan under fire as Rs 221 crore grant remains unused

Delhi University's Executive Council has approved its 2025-26 annual report despite objections over its reliance on loans from the Higher Education Financing Agency. An elected member has warned that the debt burden could push the university towards higher fees and commercialisation.Delhi University's Executive Council has approved its 2025-26 annual report despite objections over its reliance on loans from the Higher Education Financing Agency. New Delhi,Nov 13, 2026 11:26 ISTThe University of Delhi's Executive Council has approved its annual report for 2025-26 despite dissent over the institution's reliance on loans from the Higher Education Financing Agency, according to PTI.An elected council member warned that the borrowing could lead to commercialisation and weaken the university's character as a public institution.Officials told PTI that the Executive Council meeting was convened on Thursday to discuss the annual report, which was passed despite the dissent.A Rs 161 CRORE LOAN BURDEN UNDER THE SPOTLIGHTIn a dissent note, elected council member Mithuraaj Dhusiya raised concerns about the university's growing financial liabilities and questioned its use of HEFA loans for infrastructure and other capital requirements. The note said the university had an outstanding HEFA loan liability of about Rs 161.36 crore as of March 31, 2026. This included an opening balance of Rs 46.93 crore, fresh loan releases of Rs 109.63 crore and accrued interest of Rs 4.80 crore during the financial year.Dhusiya also objected to the university having to pay 10 per cent of the principal repayment, or Rs 3.15 crore, from its internal receipts. The Ministry of Education covers the remaining 90 per cent, amounting to Rs 28.35 crore.COULD STUDENTS END UP PAYING THE PRICE? The note argued that the repayment obligation could push the university towards raising revenue through higher student fees, commercial use of university resources and an increase in self-financing courses.It also flagged an unutilised grant of Rs 221.50 crore from the Ministry of Minority Affairs and questioned why the university was relying on commercial borrowing while government grants remained unspent.“DU must demand that all its expenditure be financed by grants from the government,” the dissent note said.Members said the growing dependence on commercial loans could shift the university's focus from teaching and research to debt repayment, eventually undermining its public character.The annual report was ultimately approved, with the dissent centred on the university's outstanding HEFA debt, its repayment obligations and the possible impact of loan-based funding on its priorities and public character.- Ends