The Hindu : Front Page : Proposal to subsidise fees dropped

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 02, 2006

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Front Page

Proposal to subsidise fees dropped

Special Correspondent

Government goes back on promise made to thousands of students

DISCUSSION: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy at a meeting to discuss the proposal to subsidise fees for those admitted to higher fee category seats by the CET cell, in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: The Government went back on its promise to provide subsidised fees for those admitted to higher fee category seats in medical, dental and engineering courses by the Common Entrance Test (CET) cell for 2006-07.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told presspersons here on Tuesday that the Government had dropped the proposal because providing subsidy in fees would cost the exchequer Rs. 30 crore a year and Rs. 150 crore in five years.

The Government had announced in the Legislative Assembly that it would provide fee subsidy for students allotted higher fee category seats by the CET cell. Under the higher fee category, the Government has fixed Rs. 2.90 lakh for medicine (425 seats); Rs. 2.30 lakh for dental (384 seats) and Rs. 85,000 for engineering (5,007 seats) courses. The Government had said that it would provide a subsidy of Rs. 90,000 for medical; Rs. 80,000 for dental and Rs. 25,000 for engineering seats in 2006-07.

Since the Government is having second thoughts on subsidy, the fees this year will be higher than last year's.

The Government and private colleges had reached an understanding on a seat-sharing ratio of 50:50 for medical and dental courses, and 60:40 for engineering. The Government had then proposed a subsidy in fees in the wake of the criticism that the fee was high.

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