Congress government owes Rs. 8,591 crore in fee reimbursement dues

AIMIM Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi criticised the Congress government in the Assembly for failing to clear fee reimbursement dues, citing hardships faced by students, teachers and colleges. He pointed out that while the previous BRS government had released over Rs.19,000 crore under the scheme, the Congress dispensation had paid only Rs.1,164 crore in the last two-and-a-half years.

Hyderabad: Amid protests by students over the delay in clearing fee reimbursement dues, AIMIM Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi questioned the Congress government over its failure to clear the pending amount. He said the previous BRS government had implemented the scheme effectively.

The BRS government had cleared Rs. 19,216.37 crore under the scheme from 2014-15 to 2023-24. In the last two-and-a-half years, the Congress government had paid only Rs. 1,164.82 crore, he said during Question Hour in the Assembly on Friday. “When that government could pay the fee reimbursement, why cannot this government pay?” Akbaruddin Owaisi asked.

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SC, ST Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman admitted that the State government owed Rs. 8,591.63 crore under the scheme. He assured the House that the dues would be cleared at the earliest.

The AIMIM MLA also found fault with the State government’s explanation that revenues had declined. “Sir, if you permit me, I will give details of the last one year also over what are the real revenues and every month the receipts the government is receiving,” he said.

Akbaruddin Owaisi said students and colleges were facing hardships due to the delay in clearing the pending dues. Nearly two lakh teachers were working in private colleges, but their salaries were not being paid on time, he said. Many colleges were also shutting down, he pointed out. He further said many ineligible students were benefiting from the fee reimbursement scheme. The State government should convene an all-party meeting to discuss irregularities in the implementation of the scheme and other related issues, he demanded.

In reply, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu said the government would convene an all-party meeting shortly.