Fee cap on education of martyrs'' kids removed

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 22

The government has removed the fee cap it had imposed on educational expenses it pays to children of martyrs or those disabled in action.

In July 2017, the fee paid to such kids was capped at Rs 10,000 per month, impacting some 3,200 students in schools, colleges and professional institutions.

This was to result in meagre saving of less than Rs 4 crore per annum, say sources, the Tribune had first reported this in its edition dated December 1, 2017.

The Ministry of Defence had agreed to review the matter and referred the same to the Ministry of Finance, which has issued instructions for the same.

Its order, dated March 21, said, “Educational expenses shall continue without the cap of Rs 10,000.” 

It, however, has small, caveat and adds that fee would be paid only for government run or government ‘recognised’ schools and colleges, autonomous institutes under the Central government.

Sources said most top private educational institutes at the school level or the level of professional colleges running MBA, MMBS or Engineering streams are under the ‘recognised’ category. 

The scheme to bear the cost of education of children of martyrs was announced in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 1971, two days after the Pakistani forces surrendered to the Indian forces at Dacca (now known as Dhaka).

The scheme, introduced in the 1972 session, allowed complete exemption of tuition and ‘other fee’ school onwards.

In 1990, the MoD extended the scheme to children of officers and jawans killed or disabled in Operation Meghdoot (Siachen) and Operation Pawan (Sri Lanka). Another amendment in 2003 included children of those killed or disabled in counter-insurgency operations.