Hyderabad: The BRS government did not release Rs 6,500 crore under Telangana’s fee reimbursement and scholarship scheme, leaving 13 lakh students waiting for the release of funds for a long time.
These funds, promised by the previous government, have not been disbursed for various professional courses such as engineering, pharmacy, MBA, and nursing due to budget constraints.
The government failed to release the scholarship and fee reimbursement amounts for the past four years, leaving many professional colleges struggling financially. Since the 2021-22 financial year, the budget for these schemes has not been allocated, leading to the closure of several colleges and pushing others to the brink of shutdown.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has addressed the issue by speaking with college authorities and students, assuring them that the overdue payments will be released. The management of the affected colleges has pleaded for support, highlighting their inability to pay salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff for the past eight months and the difficulty in repaying bank loans. They warned that without immediate financial relief, more colleges would be forced to close.
The Federation of Professional Colleges has requested that the arrears be released by June, before the start of the 2024-25 academic year. They accused the previous BRS government of neglecting the needs of poor and deserving students. According to the Federation, former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) did not meet with college representatives who sought to discuss their problems.
Although the previous government announced the release of Rs 1,500 crore in arrears before the assembly elections in September 2023, these funds were not deposited into the colleges’ accounts due to a halt by the finance department. College administrators have appealed to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to instruct the finance department to release the funds promised in September as the first installment.
The Federation of Professional Colleges, which includes institutions offering engineering, pharmacy, MBA, nursing, and other professional courses, is seeking urgent action to secure the future of the students and maintain the viability of the colleges.
