Ex-additional chief secy in trouble for MBBS fee hike

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 19

A former Additional Chief Secretary (Education) and some officers are in trouble for approving an exorbitant hike in fee for MBBS courses run by Maharshi Markandeshwar Medical College (MMMC), Kumarhatti (Solan). The scrutiny of the records of a meeting of the Fee Fixation Committee revealed that no decision was taken by the committee.

As per records, the meeting of the committee held on August 19, 2017, under the chairmanship of former additional chief secretary, had only provisionally approved the revised fee structure. Another meeting was scheduled for August 23, 2017, which was not held and the fee hike was approved without the final fixation on August 28, 2017.

The provisionally approved pay structure provided that the fee for state quota and management quota seats would be Rs 7 lakh and Rs 12 lakh for 2017-18 with 10 per cent annual increase for four years.

The fee for 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 for state quota seats was fixed at Rs 7.70 lakh , Rs 8.47 lakh, Rs 9,31,700 and Rs 10,24,867 while the fee for management quota seats was Rs 13.20 lakh, Rs 14.52 lakh, Rs 15,97,200 and Rs 17,56.920.

Incidentally, the fee hike was approved just three days before the retirement of the additional chief secretary on August 31, who was the chairman of the committee. The government is re-examining the issue as it evoked sharp reactions from parents and students.

The matter came to light when the parents of the students raised the issue of rollback of fee after the BJP government, which promised review of the decisions taken by the previous Congress government during the last six months of its tenure.

The government has reportedly mentioned these facts in the supplementary affidavit filed in the High Court in a case filed by Markandeshwar University, seeking reduction in state quota seats to 25 per cent and increasing NRI quota seats to 15 per cent.

The affidavit pointed out that the noting in the related files showed that “no decision with regard to finalisation of fee structure, provisionally or finally, was taken by the committee” and the meeting was to be reconvened on August 23, 2017. If there was some “difference of opinion” in recording of proceedings, the matter should have been sent to the fee committee again for clarification.

“Even if it is assumed for the sake of argument that the fee committee had fixed the fees, at the most it was a provisional fixation. As such, the issue is required to be reexamined and the committee can do it as the fixation was provisional”, top officials in the Education Department said.

Fee structure

• The provisionally approved pay structure provided that the fee for state quota and management quota seats will be Rs 7 lakh and Rs 12 lakh for 2017-18 with 10 per cent annual increase for four years. 
• The fee for 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22  for state quota seats was fixed at Rs 7.70 lakh , Rs 8.47 lakh, Rs 9,31,700 and Rs 10,24,867 while the fee for management quota seats was Rs 13.20 lakh, Rs 14.52 lakh,  Rs 15,97,200 and Rs 17,56.920.