TS Govt constitutes committee to draft FAST guidelines

Hyderabad, July 30 (INN): The Telangana Government on Wednesday constituted a committee to frame guidelines for the implementation of “ Financial Assistance to Students of Telangana (FAST)” scheme.

In a G.O.Rt.No. 36 issued today, Chief Secretary Dr Rajiv Sharma said that the detailed guidelines for FAST scheme for implementation during the current academic year 2014-15 would be finalized by the five-member committee comprising Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of Scheduled Castes Development, ST, BC Welfare Departments, Higher Education Department, PR & RD Department, General Administration Department and Law Department.

“Government of Telangana contemplates to introduce a new scheme titled as“ Financial Assistance to Students of Telangana (FAST)” to enable the poor and eligible students to pursue higher studies in the Universities and the Institutions regulated by the Government, which will not only enable access by poor and eligible students to higher education but also increase the gross enrolment ratio, which currently stands at 31 and a meeting was convened on 05-07-2014 to discuss the policy of financial assistance to the students of the newly formed Telangana State,” the Chief Secretary said in the GO.

The students in the State of Telangana include such of those students who are studying post matric courses based on the admissions done in the past and also such of the students who will be seeking admissions to the post matric courses during the current year 2014-15.

“With a view to enable the students of Telangana State to get financial assistance, it is proposed to lay down the fundamental principles based on which this policy will operate. FAST shall be made applicable to all the students pursuing ongoing studies and fresh admissions and whose parents were bonafide residents of Telangana State as on 01-11-1956 and shall come into force from the current academic year 2014-15. The Certificates for the bonafide residence shall be issued by the Revenue Department after seeking for information from the applicants through a detailed format to ascertain the bonafide residence status of the parents/grandparents of the students,” according to the GO issued by the Scheduled Caste Development (Edn) Department.