Colleges told to return fee to SC, ST students
Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Jhajjar, January 2
The Department of Higher Education (DHE) has directed degree colleges across the state to refund the fee taken from students belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) who are covered under the post-metric scholarship (PMS) scheme. These colleges have also been asked to send their claims on a prescribed form to the department for the refund of fee.
Sources say the department has issued directives following information that some colleges had taken fee from SC and ST students covered under the PMS scheme in violation of rules. The colleges, according to rules, are bound to give free admission to such students. The department later reimburses the fee to the colleges after they file their claims in this respect, the sources add.
“It is to bring to your notice again that no college will demand fee from SC or ST students covered under the PMS scheme. Action will be taken against those found violating the rules,” states Deputy Director (Scholarship), DHE, in a recent communiqué sent to all government, government-aided and self-financing colleges in the state.
Meanwhile, there is another good news for college students belonging to the SC, ST and OBC categories who could not apply online for the PMS scheme. The department has given them another opportunity to submit online applications up to January 20 for availing of the benefit of the scheme.
“The department has taken the decision after it came to know that a large number of such students have failed to apply for the scheme due to the semester examinations of undergraduate courses conducted by universities. Similarly, many colleges could not register them at the web portal of the department for the same reason,” say the sources.
The scheme
The scheme aims at providing financial assistance to SC, ST and OBC students at the post-secondary stage to enable them to complete higher education. Under it, only those SC, ST and OBC students are eligible the income of whose parents or guardians from all sources does not exceed the fixed limit.
