Hyderabad: The fee reimbursement scheme will drain the exchequer of an additional Rs 1,000 crore from this academic year (2011-12). While the government has been spending Rs 2,100 crore on the scheme that covers 26 lakh students till the academic year 2010-11, with the changes introduced on Tuesday the money that will have to be allocated per annum is expected to go up to Rs 3,100 crore from the coming academic year, officials estimated.
According to the modified rules, students with parental income of less than Rs 2 lakh will be eligible for the scheme. Earlier the parental income limit was Rs 1 lakh per annum. With these changes,children of group IV staff from government services from SC and ST communities will now be eligible for the reimbursement scheme. With changed rules, the scheme is expected to attract at least an excess of six to eight lakh students who were not included till last year in the scheme, officials said. The decision to include more students under the scheme has come at a time when the government still has to pay Rs 480 crore to the college managements as arrears for the last two academic years.
Officials of social welfare department said that the government has decided to increase the income limit by Rs 1 lakh as several government employees with weak financial background had complained that they were not benefitted by the scheme and that they deserved it. “When a small time private labourer could avail the scheme without much trouble, government employees who earn about Rs 1.5 lakh per annum were not included under the scheme. Hence the changes were introduced,” said an official. The higher education department is however, not happy with the changes, officials said. “The promise was to streamline the scheme starting this year. But instead we have increased its range,” said an official. The state government has, however, decided to grade colleges and also inspect them frequently to make sure that only the eligible students are being benefitted by the scheme.
According to the modified rules, students with parental income of less than Rs 2 lakh will be eligible for the scheme. Earlier the parental income limit was Rs 1 lakh per annum. With these changes,children of group IV staff from government services from SC and ST communities will now be eligible for the reimbursement scheme. With changed rules, the scheme is expected to attract at least an excess of six to eight lakh students who were not included till last year in the scheme, officials said. The decision to include more students under the scheme has come at a time when the government still has to pay Rs 480 crore to the college managements as arrears for the last two academic years.
Officials of social welfare department said that the government has decided to increase the income limit by Rs 1 lakh as several government employees with weak financial background had complained that they were not benefitted by the scheme and that they deserved it. “When a small time private labourer could avail the scheme without much trouble, government employees who earn about Rs 1.5 lakh per annum were not included under the scheme. Hence the changes were introduced,” said an official. The higher education department is however, not happy with the changes, officials said. “The promise was to streamline the scheme starting this year. But instead we have increased its range,” said an official. The state government has, however, decided to grade colleges and also inspect them frequently to make sure that only the eligible students are being benefitted by the scheme.
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