Students, BC Leaders Demand ₹8,000 Cr Fee Dues, Slam GO No 9
Rajya Sabha MP and National BC Welfare Association president R. Krishnaiah criticised the Congress government’s claim that there was no budget for scholarships and fee reimbursements.
Hyderabad:Hundreds of college students and BC community leaders staged a protest at the Hyderabad collectorate on Thursday, demanding immediate release of over ₹ 8,000 crore in fee reimbursement dues. They also called for withdrawal of GO No. 9 — shifting fee payment to students via direct benefit transfer —which they alleged was being used to harass students and institutions. The demonstration was organised by the State BC Student Association and was led by its convener Nikhil Patel.
Rajya Sabha MP and National BC Welfare Association president R. Krishnaiah criticised the Congress government’s claim that there was no budget for scholarships and fee reimbursements. He said every scheme had a budget and questioned why the government could pay thousands of crore to contractors but not release ₹8,000 crore for 14 lakh students. Krishnaiah alleged that the delay had pushed the higher education system into crisis, with colleges unable to pay staff salaries and about 200 institutions already shutting down.
Protesters singled the Revenue Recovery Act provision of GO No 9, which they said threatened students with jail if they did not remit the fee to colleges within eight days of receipt of the funds in their bank accounts. Krishnaiah called it a “Tughlaq-like” and inhuman order, saying Revenue Recovery Act was meant for loan defaulters, not students. He demanded the government revert to the old system where reimbursements went directly to institutions.
