BC Leaders Warn of Stir Seeking Rollback of GO 7
The meeting said attempts to dilute or scrap the fee reimbursement scheme would spark unrest and undo social gains.
Hyderabad:The all‑party round‑table of Backward Classes (BC) communities leaders on Saturday demanded the immediate withdrawal of Government Order No. 7, which intends to provide fees directly to students instead of routing them to colleges, and urged the state to continue the existing fee reimbursement system. The meeting said attempts to dilute or scrap the fee reimbursement scheme would spark unrest and undo social gains.
The meeting attended by leaders from the BRS, BJP, BSP, AAP and the Republican Party. Rajya Sabha MP R. Krishnaiah, Assembly former speaker Madhusudan Chari, and representatives of 34 BC caste associations and 18 BC organisations participated.
Speakers said the reimbursement scheme had transformed access to higher and technical education for disadvantaged groups across the Telugu states, enabling millions of SC, ST and BC community students to pursue engineering, medicine and vocational courses without financial burden. They credited the policy with producing skilled graduates who fuelled Telangana’s IT boom and contributed to state revenues.
Krishnaiah blamed recent developments, including a High Court single‑judge order permitting fee collection from students, for distress. He alleged that college managements, emboldened by the order, were pressuring students to pay arrears or withholding hall tickets and certificates.
Delegates criticised GO No. 7, issued on April 30, saying its intent to transfer fees directly into students’ accounts would give colleges reason to deny admissions or refuse cooperation. They pointed to contradictions with existing GOs, central directives and university guidelines meant to protect poor students.
The conference demanded withdrawal of GO No. 7, reinstatement of the previous reimbursement method, appeal against the High Court verdict before a full bench and immediate payment of dues estimated at ₹8,000 crore. Leaders warned that failure to act would undo 18 years of progress and trigger protests.
Krishnaiah emphasised that the scheme, introduced nearly two decades ago, had helped about two crore families, increased participation in higher education and opened employment and overseas opportunities. He said the present backlog of about ₹10,000 crore under the Congress government had left colleges financially strained, prompting fee demands and placing students in crisis.
