Harish Rao slams government over fee reimbursement delays

He stated that the Congress government had reneged on its promises, pushing degree colleges across the State into financial crisis as fee reimbursement dues soared to Rs 800 crore. The prolonged delay, he noted, has left several institutions struggling, with some suspending admissions and even closing down temporarily.

Hyderabad: Stating that the failure of the State government to clear the fee reimbursement dues has put the future of nearly six lakh students at stake, BRS senior leader and former Minister T Harish Rao expressed his outrage over the priority accorded to contractors in payments while neglecting education funding.

He said the Congress government has failed to fulfill its promises, leaving degree colleges in the State strained with the fee reimbursement dues mounting to Rs 800 crore. This delay has resulted in severe financial distress for institutions, forcing some to halt admissions and even shut down temporarily, he said.

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Students were now pleading with the government to conduct their degree examinations, which have been indefinitely delayed. The inability to hold exams on time has led to final-year students losing eligibility for competitive tests such as PG-CET and LA-CET.

Universities including Kakatiya, Satavahana, Telangana, Mahatma Gandhi, and Palamuru have yet to conduct the April degree exams, highlighting the administration’s inefficiency. Harish Rao pointed out that under the BRS regime, fee reimbursements continued uninterrupted, even during economic crises.

He stated that during its tenure, the BRS government released Rs 19,000 crores towards fee reimbursement. However, in the last 17 months, the Congress government has failed to release even a fraction of that amount. Demanding immediate action, Rao called upon the State government to clear pending dues and ensure that examinations proceed without delay.

He warned that the neglect of funding to the education sector could have long-term consequences for students and institutions across Telangana.