Telangana To Restrict Fee Reimbursement To Locals & Add 60,000 More Students

Telangana Government decided to continue the fee reimbursement program, despite the big bill attached it. Telangana would reimburse fees for all local students studying in Telangana as well natives of Telangana studying in AP as non-locals as per a unanimous decision reached in the all-party meeting chaired by CM KCR in Hyderabad. Similarly, AP Minister Yanamala said they would continue reimbursement program and do it for all Andhra local students studying in AP and is willing to extend it to those studying in Telangana as non-locals. He said there is nothing to worry on that front. While officials put the non-locals count in Telangana at 39,000 during the all-party meet, all the leaders present differed with it and said it could very high than that. The officials are then directed to fetch accurate data. In view of bifurcation, the non-local criterion can be changed too, as Telangana and AP are now 2 States and not just regions allotted quota within a State. There would be another meeting before a final decision is made with all facts and figures said the Govt. A broad understanding is that by limiting the reimbursement to Telangana, the money saved can be used to add 60,000 more students to the program.

The criterion to qualify for the reimbursement though remains unchanged. Presently, the income limit is 2 lakh for SCs and STs and 1 lakh for BC, Minorities, Physically handicapped. Rankers below 100 got full reimbursement while others got 35,000 per annum. These guidelines will be reviewed today before applying them from this academic year. CM KCR seem to have arrived at the conclusion that between 2011 and 2014, almost Rs. 6000 Cr were spent on reimbursements as per records. The estimate for this year has been put at Rs. 2500 Cr. Meanwhile, the new State governments in both AP and Telangana have to clear the fee reimbursement dues of the last quarter of 2013-14 academic year.The Telangana government has to clear 1,360 crore and the AP government 1,376 crore.

The meeting was chaired by Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao and was attended by Dy chief ministers T Rajaiah, Mahmud Ali, ministers G Jagadeeshwar Reddy, Etela Rajender, Dr J Geetha Reddy (Congress), Bandaru Dattatreya (BJP), P Sudhaker Reddy, K Swamy Goud, V Srinivas Goud (TRS), R Krishnaiah (TDP) and Syed Amin Jaffri (MIM) besides senior officials of the education department.