Focus on goal of providing education rather than looking at deposit of scholarship money: Chandrakant Patil
Speaking at the Progressive Education Society's auditorium in Pune on Monday, Patil said, 'The state government pays 80 per cent of the (total) student fees to educational institutions in the form of 50 per cent and 100 per cent scholarships (in various categories) in the state. It is not difficult to run an institution while the government is providing scholarships. It is your responsibility…and that is not being fulfilled. Sitting nicely in an AC cabin and looking at whether the EWS money has been deposited or not…scheduled castes-scheduled tribe scheme (money has been deposited or not).'
At the event, educationists raised various issues faced by educational institutes in the state. Gajanan Ekbote, chairperson of the Progressive Education Society, said around 16,000 pharmacy seats, 50,000 engineering seats, and 50,000 BBA seats were vacant in the state. In view of this situation, new colleges of engineering and pharmacy should not be approved in the state for two years. He also said non-cooperation by the Fees Regulatory Authority (FRA) was a big challenge for institutes.
Ramdas Zhol, founder president of Association of Self-Finance Institutes and president of Dattakala Group of Institutes, raised issues such as irregular implementation of EWS reservation across different courses in the state, reduction in number of the many CET exams, admission of non-CET students in courses if seats remain vacant, taxation on purchase of land for educational institutes and FSI charges for the same in rural areas, and non-payment of RTE funds by the state government to schools.
Patil invited the education leaders for a meeting with educational officers of the state in Mumbai and assured a resolution of their issues. However, he also pulled up the institutions and said, 'Educational institutes are not an industry, right? It is my view that you have set them up to give knowledge to people. You should concentrate on that.'
Further, Patil suggested that educational institutions should take the help of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives from corporates rather than complain about government schemes. He said institutes could appoint a 'CEO' who would visit corporate offices and attract CSR initiatives.
Talking about 100 per cent fee waiver for girl students in the state, Patil said, 'When no one had demanded it, Eknath Shinde and I took the initiative of free vocational education for girls. By spending Rs 900 crore, 100 percent of the fees of 50 percent of the girls were waived. Under this, the 'tuition fee' and 'examination fee' have been waived. However, 'other fees' are more than the tuition fee in educational institutions. Therefore, the question has arisen as to what about 'other fees'. Now, the idea is to bring other fees also under the fee regulations and waive them for girls, and give the amount to the institutions.'
The minister also said that a 'revolutionary idea' of providing Rs 1,000-1,500 'pocket money' to college-going female students every month is being thought of.
Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune.
A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
No slums will be demolished, open to policy change: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta
Facing fire from the Opposition and dissent within party ranks over the ongoing slum demolitions in the Capital, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta Friday said her government is open to amending Delhi's slum policy — countering claims that the BJP is reneging on its promises to the urban poor. Calling slum dwellers the 'backbone of Delhi's working class,' Gupta announced a halt on all demolitions unless alternative housing is provided in advance. The Delhi government has also made it clear that no slum will be removed in the Capital. Gupta directed land-owning agencies like the Railways, Delhi Development Authority, and other departments to 'immediately cease' any eviction drives and warned that her government would approach the courts if necessary. Her statement comes weeks after eviction notices were served to residents of a jhuggi cluster in R K Puram, an area where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier assured slum dwellers that 'no jhuggi would be demolished'. The BJP has also faced internal criticism from its MLAs and booth workers, who had campaigned extensively in slums with the slogan 'jahan jhuggi, wahan makan'. Since the BJP government has taken charge in Delhi, major slums have been demolished over the past few months: Madrasi Camp (340 structures demolished), Bhoomiheen Camp (344 structures demolished), Jailer Wala Bagh (300 structures) and Taimoor Nagar (100 structures). Criticising both AAP and Congress, accusing them of historic neglect and using slum residents merely as 'vote banks', Gupta said: 'The Congress named colonies after their leaders but gave nothing. The AAP promised the world, but didn't even ensure clean drinking water or drainage. They pushed these communities into neglect and addiction.' She also announced that 50,000 unallotted flats in Outer Delhi — long left in disrepair — will be renovated under the PMAY-Urban and handed over to slum dwellers. The Centre has allowed Rs 732 crore, previously underutilised under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, to be repurposed for this housing initiative. In response to Gupta, AAP's Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said, 'Rekha Gupta and her party have been bluffing the poor residents of Delhi for many months now. If Rekha Gupta is actually serious about what she is saying, then she should ask the central government and its agencies — DDA, Railways, and L&DO — to withdraw cases against these JJ clusters in the High Court and the Supreme Court.' Attempting to reframe the demolition narrative, Gupta claimed the BJP is the first government to pair evictions with actual housing handovers, unlike her predecessors. 'Previous governments simply watched slums grow. We are finally giving people homes — and dignity,' she said. She said slums are an inseparable part of the national capital and asserted that her government is making sincere efforts to ensure their rightful recognition as residents of Delhi.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Rising construction costs hinder progress of PMAY-G scheme in Mys and Ch'nagar
Mysuru: The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G), the flagship rural housing scheme aimed at providing houses to the homeless in rural areas, is facing significant delays in the twin districts of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar, largely due to the soaring cost of construction materials and labour. In Mysuru district, 20,908 houses were sanctioned for the fiscal year 2024-25. However, only 64.4% progress has been achieved so far, while Chamarajanagar district achieved only 27.2% progress. Against the target of constructing 20,908 houses in Mysuru district, 13,462 beneficiaries have taken up the construction of their houses after receiving the allotment letter. The remaining 7,466 beneficiaries who were identified are still waiting for the allotment sanction letter. In Chamarajanagar district, of the 39,317 houses targeted for construction this fiscal, only 10,681 have been sanctioned. That leaves a backlog of 28,636 houses yet to be built in the district. Houseless people living in kutcha houses with walls and roofs made out of mud, grass, and other non-durable materials, living in one room, were identified as beneficiaries. Below poverty line (BPL) families without any shelter, destitute individuals living on alms, manual scavengers, primitive tribal groups, legally released bonded labourers, HIV-infected individuals, and sexual minorities were all identified as beneficiaries of the scheme. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Up to 70% off | Shop Sale Libas Undo They were identified by local gram panchayats by conducting gram sabha meetings. Under the scheme, the Union govt provides Rs 1.2 lakh grants for the construction of a house for general category candidates and Rs 1.8 lakh for SC/ST beneficiaries. In addition to this, the beneficiaries can also claim Rs 31,410 for 90 days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. The ZP also provides Rs 12,000 to general category candidates for the construction of individual toilets and Rs 20,000 for SC/ST beneficiaries separately under the Swachh Bharat Mission. "Govt must increase the grants provided for the construction of houses under the scheme as beneficiaries struggle to complete the construction of houses with less grants of Rs 1.2 lakh for the general category and Rs 1.8 lakh for SC/STs when prices of steel, cement, labour charges, and other construction materials and expenditures are increasing day by day," said HM Sambram, former president of Benakanahalli GP of T Narasipura taluk. Speaking to TOI, Mysuru zilla panchayat chief executive officer S Ukesh Kumar said Mysuru district stood first in the state in the implementation of the scheme when compared to other districts. "Some other districts achieved only 10%," he stated. The CEO said all panchayat development officers will be instructed to expedite the construction of the houses under the scheme.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
AP Discoms seek ERC nod to collect true-up charges of Rs 12,771 cr
Vijayawada: The three power distribution companies (discoms) in the state have filed a petition before Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC), seeking permission to collect Rs 12,771 crore from consumers through true-up charges. The ERC released the notification asking the public to file their objections/suggestions on the petitions filed by the discoms. The Left parties have demanded that the govt immediately withdraw the proposal. According to the affidavit, SPDCL wants to collect Rs 3,046 crore through true-up charges to recover the actual costs of power supplied from 2019 to 2024. APEPDCL has urged the commission to allow it to collect Rs 7,790 crore, while APCPDCL wants to recover Rs 1,935 crore. The discoms have been collecting fuel and power purchase cost adjustment (FPPCA) charges for the past three years. Recently, the distribution companies filed a petition before APERC seeking ratification of its decision to collect 40 paise per unit, which has been continuing for the past six months. While APERC, in Nov 2024, allowed the discoms to recover Rs 9,412 crore through FPPCA charges, the discoms levied nearly Rs 14,000 crore burden on the consumers in the last one year, citing old dues. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Even Beautiful Women Have Their 'Oops' Moments Read More Undo However, energy minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar has made it clear that the govt has no plans to increase power tariff, adding that power tariff may be reduced in the coming days. He blamed the previous YSRCP govt for the discoms' move to collect the true-up and FPPCA charges. "The mismanagement and irregularities during the YSRCP regime forced discoms to recover the true-up and FPPCA charges from the consumer. The discoms have filed petitions to collect the dues pertaining to the YSRCP regime," Gottipati claimed. Dismissing the minister's allegations, CPI-M leaders V Srinivasa Rao and Ch Baburao said blaming the previous regime is only a "cover-up act" by the TDP-led NDA govt, and warned of agitations across the state if the discoms did not withdraw the true-up charges notice.
