100% fees to be waived off for girls from OBC, EBCs category

In the meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Maratha Reservation and other facilities, it was recently decided that the educational fees for all courses for girls belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) with annual income less than INR 8 lakh will be waived off 100 per cent.

Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said that this decision will be implemented after the proposal gets approval from the state cabinet.

Patil said that in the upcoming session, a provision will be made to refund 100 per cent amount of fee reimbursement pending for the last three years. A review meeting of the Cabinet Subcommittee on Maratha Reservation and Other Facilities, Annasaheb Patil Economic Backward Development Corporation and Sarathi Corporation was held in the Ministry under the chairmanship of Minister Chandrakant Patil.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde himself directed Chandrakant Patil to make such a proposal. Later, it came to light that a provision of more than INR 1,000 crore will have to be made for 642 courses.

This development came after a girl committed suicide due to lack of money for payment of fees. She wrote a suicide note, “The government pays 50 per cent of my fees. I thank them for this, but my parents do not have money to pay the remaining 50 per cent of the fees.”

On this occasion, Chandrakant Patil gave information about various schemes launched by the Maharashtra Government for the students of the Maratha community. Chandrakant Patil has done a detailed analysis of how large amount has been provided through different schemes for the students of the Maratha community.

The committee will conduct the survey work through three renowned institutes Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Gokhale Educational Institute and All India Population Science. Minister Patil also said that 22,000 new Kunbi records have been found in the ongoing registration work in Marathwada.

In all the districts of the state, the facility of repayment of interest to the beneficiaries of Maratha community for business purpose is being introduced on a large scale through the district level system of Annasaheb Patil Economic Backward Development Corporation.

Other decisions taken in the meeting

In the meeting, it was also decided to expand Balasaheb Thackeray Smriti Matoshree Gram Panchayat Scheme. A major decision was also taken in the state cabinet regarding the Higher and Technical Education Department.

Now educational institutions will be able to establish group universities. The report of the State Economic Advisory Council was also presented in the State Cabinet meeting.