A Cabinet Sub-Committee has proposed a new Act, which will give SC, ST and BC students the legal right to obtain reimbursement for their tuition fees.
Briefing media persons about the new Act, Social Welfare Minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose said that the decision to bring in a new Act was taken since the government had released the reimbursement funds through GOs. He said that the Act made it mandatory for the government to provide the reimbursements for SC, ST and BC students whose family income was below Rs. 1 lakh.
Bose added that modalities on the new Act were being worked out.
The Social Welfare Minister also said that the absence of an Act for the fee reimbursement was giving an opportunity to Opposition parties to lay allegations against the government and also mislead the students for their own political gains. He asked students and parents not to believe rumours about the issue.
"The government will implement the scheme at any cost. There is no doubt about it," he said.
The Minister reiterated that there was no question of the government going back on its promise of providing the fee reimbursements.
Bose added that the government had cleared almost all the arrears of the last academic year, and that the remaining Rs. 250 crores in arrears will be released by the 10th of October.
Bose said the scheme will be strictly restricted to SC, ST, BC, EBC, minorities and physically-challenged students whose family income was less than Rs. 1 lakh a year.
Bose stated that while implementing the reimbursement of fee, the State government will follow the guidelines set by the Supreme Court in its recent judgment.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Danam Nagender, Backward Class Welfare Minister Mukesh Goud, Panchayat Raj Minister Botsa Satyanarayana and Tribal Welfare Minister P Balaraju were present in the meeting.