As I had just settled in my seat for my class on Constitutional Government and Democracy in India this morning, members of the AISA (All India Students’ Association) entered our classroom and sought permission from the professor to speak about their campaign briefly. A young member who seemed to be in his early twenties told us that he had just completed his Masters in English and had now enrolled himself as a PhD student. He spoke about AISA’s campaign for Right To Accommodation.

The campaign demanded that all DU students be provided with in-campus accommodation, similar to the JNU and the IITs. He spoke about the struggles of students from weaker financial background that are not able to secure a place in their college’s hostel and have to pay for expensive PGs or apartments. Their flyer read, “DU authorities force the students to be preyed upon by Landlord-PG mafias” and how the rent has increased significantly over the years. He also mentioned how universities in the US have sprawling campuses with proper accommodation.
The campaign’s demands included:

  • Delhi University and its colleges must immediately start the construction of new hostels to ensure seats to all who need it
  • Till that is done, DU must provide rent allowance to students.
  • The government must apply Room Rent Control for private student accommodation.

These demands may seem utopian to some but I appraise them as being unreasonable on many levels.

Firstly, comparing the situation with that in US reveals the lack of being able to view things comprehensively.  The population density in US is 35 persons per square kilometres while the same in India is 325 persons. Can we really afford to have 20 acre campuses for all colleges, especially somewhere that is as densely populated as Delhi (11,000 people per square kilometre)? Secondly, the tuition fee in US universities range from $10000 (about ₹6,00,000) to $32,000 (about  ₹21,00,000) while the same in Delhi University is about $200 ( ₹12,000). The rent is about ₹8000 a month near the Delhi University Campus. That is about an annual expense of ₹96000 (about $1450) + tuition fee of ₹12000 = $1650. Though not enough to accommodate all students, DU colleges do have hostel that charge as less as ₹25000 (about $450) a year. I’m grateful that India leans left in its policies in important aspects such as education, given the widespread poverty its people are continue to be plagued by. The ungratefulness of the people appals me.

The idea of Room Rent Control for private student accommodation is, I believe, evil. It is private property and controlling rent would be an absolute overreach. Will the properties really be “private” in real sense? What is next? The Kolkhoz model of former USSR?

This would have been an overreach even by the pre 1991 India standards.

Do we want to a build a nation full of dependents or do we want persevering entrepreneurial and proud citizens who toil for amelioration? The culture of subsidy and giving away freebies will ultimately ruin our society. There’s only one sustainable way to move forward – rewarding merit. And there is no way around it.