HC orders AP to credit Jagananna Vidya Deevena amount directly to college accounts
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has issued an advisory to the state government that ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ scheme amount shall be credited to the respective college accounts on behalf of students, unlike the present practice of crediting such amount in the accounts of mothers on behalf of students.
The single judge bench of Justice Kongara Vijaya Lakshmi heard a petition from an association of private colleges challenging the GOs 28 and 64 claiming that the colleges were facing hardships, as the amount being credited into the accounts of mothers of students was not being credited to the college accounts.
The court has made it clear that the amounts which have already been credited to the accounts of mothers cannot be credited again by the government to the colleges. It is for the colleges to collect this amount from the students.
The court set aside GO 28 and struck down some clauses pertaining to Jagananna Vidya Deevena in the GO 64.
The petitioner’s counsel Sri Vijay filed a memo stating that the government had released Rs 6,71,63,43,116 to benefit 10,88,982 students under the Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme. Out of them, 6,49,487 students paid Rs 4,70,15,15,889 while the remaining 4,39,495 students did not pay the fee; and 60 per cent of the students paid the fee in the state.
The court said, “About 40 per cent of mothers/students did not pay the fee. At the time of admission, the college cannot insist on payment of fees. If a mother does not pay the fee after receipt of the amount under the scheme, the benefit will be discontinued to the student from the next quarter. The government is not responsible for coverage of the said amount from the next quarter.”
“In such a situation, if the students are forced to be admitted without paying the fee and the mother does not pay the fees, the college cannot continue to impart education to the said students without taking any fees whatsoever. The student will be forced to discontinue studies and the seat would go waste.”
“Nothing is stated in the impugned GOs with regard to continuation of the student in the same college if the fee is not paid by the mother.”
“If the college is not having adequate infrastructure or not conducting classes as per prescribed norms, irrespective of receipt of the scholarship amount, the mother or the father of the student does have a right to complain against the college.”
“If the amount is credited to the college account, the chances of discontinuing the education by the student are minimal.”
“As crediting the amounts into the accounts of the mothers of the students will not assure continuation of education of their children, the object for which such a scheme is enunciated, the impugned GOs, to the extent of all clauses pertaining to ‘Jagananna Vidya Deevena’ scheme, are liable to be set aside.”
The Jagananna Vidya Deevena schemes provides post-metric scholarship to students belonging to SC, ST, BC, EBC, Kapu, Minority and Differently Abled categories. The Jagananna Vasanthi Deevena provides for payment of Rs 10,000 per person to ITI students, Rs 15,000 to polytechnic students and Rs 20,000 for other degree and above courses per year to eligible students for food and hostel expenses.
