Govt declares plan to give scholarship dues to colleges

By Vikas Vaidya

The Higher and Technical Education Department of Government of Maharashtra has declared the plan to give scholarship dues of the colleges of the year 2017-18, according to which agencies and officials of related department have been asked to deposit the pending amount in the colleges’ accounts to be done under certain conditions.
Maharashtra Government in cabinet had decided to credit scholarship dues in accounts of colleges. Tuition fees and examination fees will be deposited in the accounts of colleges while maintenance allowance will be given to students directly. ‘The Hitavada’ has been raising the issue constantly. Earlier Government had declared the plan for the disbursement of the scholarship dues come under Social Justice Department. On Thursday the plan for the disbursement of the scholarship given under ‘Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Tuition Fee Scholarship Scheme’ related to higher and technical education department has been unveiled by the Government.
This arrangement of depositing amount in the colleges’ accounts is done only for the due amount of scholarship given to the students of reserved category and to those who come under Economically Backward Class (EBC), of the year 2017-18 under some rules and conditions. The amounts already credited in the accounts of the reserved category students admitted under Direct Benefit Transfer  (DBT) will be excluded from the amount to be given by the Government to colleges now. The applications of the students along with the affidavit duly signed by the Principal of the college should be submitted to Regional Joint Director who in turn will send it to Directors of technical as well as higher education. The colleges should certify the Aadhar verification of the related students.
Except maintenance allowance, Government will be transferring tuition fee and exam fees in the accounts of colleges. Maintenance allowance will be given to students off-line.
Government has asked colleges to check the eligibility of students on whose name scholarship amount is to be given. It has also asked colleges to check whether the students whose scholarship amount is getting deposited, has not received a single penny till now for that particular year. Colleges have been asked to ensure that students should not get double benefit. The Principal of the colleges would be held responsible.                                                                    
The recently framed Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) envisaged that entire money is credited into students account. They in turn were expected to pay tuition fees to colleges. However, in majority of cases, the students simply withdrew money and refused to deposit it with colleges. This has greater impact on the financial position of institutions as they had to borrow money from banks to pay the salaries.
Fed up with so much delay on the part of Maharashtra Government in getting amount against the fees of the students paid through scholarship, the colleges had approached Bombay High Court.
Division Bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice Bharati Dangre had given an ultimatum to Maharashtra Government to not to deposit any money of scholarship in students’ accounts under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme till it finds the proper solution to this issue.
Respecting Court order Devendra Fadnavis Government took a decision to deposit the amount in colleges accounts.