Vijayamma begins two-day Fees Deeksha

Hyderabad, July 18 : Strongly refuting allegations that her fight on fee reimbursement is aimed at benefiting corporate colleges, YSR Congress Party honourary president Y S Vijayamma on Thursday began her two-day Fees Deeksha at Indira Park here demanding release of funds towards fee reimbursement.

Addressing the students who also participated in the Deeksha along with her, she said YSRCP would always fight on behalf of people and not curry favour with any corporate lobbies.

“We always fight on behalf of people seeking solutions to their problems. There is no necessity for us to support any corporate organization. In the past, I undertook Fees Deeksha on many an occasion. Even YSRC chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy also undertook Deeksha several times on the issue of fee reimbursement and other problems,” she asserted, recalling the agitations and Deekshas undertaken in the past.

Accusing Government of allowing corporate professional colleges of collecting fees at their will and pleasure and without any policy, Vijayamma said students are being put to untold suffering after the Government has restricted the number of eligible students under the scheme to the first 10,000 rankers and linking it to several conditions.

She said YSR, who was an embodiment of credibility, assurance and aspiration, introduced the fee reimbursement scheme with the sole aim of ensuring higher and professional education to all poor students of all regions.

Objecting to the Government policy of allowing some colleges to collect as much as Rs 1,13,000 towards engineering course fee, she said poor students are being forced to bear Rs 15,000 to Rs 85,000. “As the Government is only paying a maximum of Rs 35,000 towards fee reimbursement, the poor students are unable to purse their professional courses,” she said, adding that Government does not wake up unless people fight on issues.

The Government is yet to release the pending amount of Rs 3000 Cr towards the fee reimbursement to enable students pursue their studies for the present academic year, she said.

Vijayamma said the Government is not in a position to do justice to any section of society or region. “Once the YSRCP comes into power under the leadership of Jagan Mohan Reddy, all students will have the opportunity of pursuing their higher studies,” she assured. INN