The Social Welfare department has constituted a committee to work out the modalities of reimbursing tuition fees directly to students belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) pursuing higher education.

Presently, the money is being paid to the educational institutions where the students are admitted.

“Last year, the government paid Rs 131 crore to the educational institutions towards the fee, which had accumulated over the past seven years. The colleges sometimes harassed the students due to the delay in payment of fee,” Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya said at a press meet here on Tuesday. 

He further said: “We felt it would be better if students pay the fee at the time of admission, which would be reimbursed by the government in a few weeks.”He added that the committee headed by E V Ramana Reddy, principal secretary to Social Welfare department, would submit its report in a fortnight. As many as 3.34 lakh OBC students had applied to the department seeking the benefit during 2013-14.

However, in the case of minority students, the present system of the government paying fee to the colleges would continue, the minister said.

Cutoff marks

The department will stick to its earlier guideline of fixing a cutoff percentage of marks in the previous examination to select students for the scheme. 

Accordingly, the cutoff percentage for category-1 students (fresh applications) has been fixed at 40 per cent, while that for category 2A, 3A and 3B students has been fixed at 50 per cent.

For subsequent years, the category-1 students should score a minimum of 50 per cent marks while those of category 2A, 3A and 3B should secure at least 60 per cent marks to be eligible for the benefit.

Anjaneya said that as many as 20,000 students benefited from ‘Vidyasri’ scheme during 2013-14 and it would be extended to 50,000 students during 2014-15.
 Under the scheme, the government extends monetary assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to students who choose to stay on their own instead of opting for government hostels.