Fee reimbursement dues pushing students into distress in Andhra, says Jagan

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy held Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh responsible for a student's attempt to end life at a private engineering college in Chittoor district, alleging that the government's failure to clear fee reimbursement dues was pushing students into distress.

In a post on X on Friday, Mr. Jagan said students had taken to the streets, alleging that non-payment of college fees had driven a student to resort to the extreme step. He claimed that similar incidents had occurred at the same college in the past.

Accusing the government of being indifferent to students' plights, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy demanded that the Chief Minister stop diverting attention from the issue and take responsibility. He alleged that the coalition government had weakened the Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena schemes introduced during the YSRCP’s tenure to support students from economically weaker sections in pursuing higher education.

Putting the dues under the two schemes at ₹12,400 crore, Mr. Jagan said 13 quarters of Vidya Deevena payments, amounting to ₹9,100 crore at ₹700 crore per quarter, would be due by the end of the academic year. Another ₹3,300 crore was pending under Vasathi Deevena for April 2024, 2025 and 2026.

He said the government had paid only ₹2,800 crore in two instalments, leaving more than ₹9,600 crore unpaid. He alleged that colleges were pressuring students to pay fees and threatening to prevent them from appearing for examinations or to withhold certificates.

Some students had discontinued their education or taken up jobs, while others were facing severe distress, he said. Mr. Jagan demanded that the Chief Minister relieve Mr. Lokesh of the HRD portfolio, clear the arrears immediately and ensure that colleges did not put pressure on students.