BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to provide relief to poor and meritorious students from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities by allowing them to secure admission in government medical and engineering colleges without depositing tuition and other fees upfront.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi issued the directive following reports of meritorious students from economically-disadvantaged families struggling to arrange money at the crucial stage of admission, despite clearing highly competitive NEET examination.
The chief minister took note of the TNIE report highlighting the ordeal of Soumya Ranjan Sahu (19), son of a landless daily-wage labourer from Mahakalpada block of Kendrapara district, who was struggling to arrange money for counselling and admission in MBBS course at SCB Medical College in Cuttack.
As per the chief minister’s order, henceforth, eligible poor students belonging to SC and ST categories, who have qualified for government medical and engineering colleges will not be required to deposit fees at the time of admission or up to six months thereafter. They can pay the admission and tuition fees after receiving their scholarship amount.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said students belonging to these communities generally receive scholarships from both the Centre and state. However, the process of sanctioning and disbursing the scholarship often takes three to four months. The gap between admission and receipt of scholarship funds has therefore emerged as a major financial hurdle for students from poor families.
The state government will shortly issue detailed guidelines specifying eligibility and procedure for availing the fee deferment facility, the CMO said.