Government looking at various options to implement SC direction of uniform fee structure

Updated on: Friday, August 03, 2012

In a fix after the Supreme Court directive to implement only uniform fee structure in engineering and other professional colleges, the government is looking at various options to implement the direction.

With no resources to foot the additional burden of fee-reimbursement scheme if the government is required to pay the enhanced fee structure allowed by the Admissions and Fee Regulations Committee in 130 colleges, one of the options being studied is to impose a cap on the amount to be reimbursed.

The meeting convened by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy with officials to discuss the fee hike remained inconclusive on Thursday. The officials, headed by V. Bhaskar, principal secretary, Finance, reportedly told the Chief Minister that any implementation of uniform fee structure as directed by the apex court would place an additional burden of Rs.600 crore to Rs.1,000 crore on the exchequer annually.

As such, the sum of Rs.3,800 crore provided in the 2012-13 budget towards post-matric scholarship and free reimbursement for weaker sections students covering all the listed courses, would not be adequate. An option for the government was to introduce a cap and reimburse a fixed amount irrespective of the fee charged in individual colleges so that none could blame the government that it went back on its promise, sources explained.

Further, a decision on counselling for engineering would be taken only after clarity emerges on the issue in the next couple of days, the sources said.

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