Harish Rao targets Congress govt over fee reimbursement dues

BRS leader T Harish Rao has criticised the Telangana government over pending fee reimbursement dues, alleging that students are being denied certificates and consequently missing job and higher-education opportunities. He demanded immediate payment of dues to eligible beneficiaries

Hyderabad: BRS Legislature Party deputy floor leader T Harish Rao lashed out at the Congress government for jeopardising the future of students by failing to clear fee reimbursement dues. Stating that several colleges were withholding certificates from graduates over pending dues, he demanded the immediate release of pending amounts to eligible beneficiaries.

After affected students approached him and narrated their ordeal here on Sunday, Harish Rao said students who had completed engineering and other degree courses and secured jobs with packages of Rs 6 lakh to Rs 7 lakh were unable to join their jobs without their certificates. He pointed out that some students were also unable to pursue higher education or go abroad despite holding appointment and admission letters. He sought the Chief Minister’s intervention to ensure that certificates were released to students to prevent the loss of jobs or higher-education opportunities.

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Harish Rao said the fee reimbursement scheme introduced by former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy was continued during the BRS regime as it benefited poor students. He stated that the previous BRS government had released Rs 20,576 crore towards fee reimbursement and supported over 1.98 crore students.

He alleged that the Congress government was deliberately weakening the scheme and questioned its treatment of SC, ST, BC and minority students. He also accused the government of prioritising other expenditures while withholding students’ fee dues.

Referring to the Chief Minister’s earlier remarks of “criminal waste”, allegedly made against engineering students, Harish Rao said the same students had now secured jobs in global companies through their merit and hard work. Stating that every rupee spent on students’ education was an investment in Telangana’s future, he questioned why students from poor families and rural backgrounds should suffer due to the government’s alleged failure to clear fee reimbursement dues.