Fresh GOs on DBT for reimbursements triggers debate in T

Hyderabad: The state govt has issued fresh Govt Orders introducing a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)-based mechanism for post-matric scholarships and fee reimbursement from the current academic year, under which eligible students would receive the assistance directly in their bank accounts instead of educational institutions.The move is expected to cover students belonging to various eligible categories, including SC, ST, BC, EBC and Minority communities. Under the new system, students or their parents would pay the fees to their respective colleges after receiving the govt assistance.The orders also lay down a phased schedule for the release of the reimbursement amount during the academic year, replacing the earlier practice of crediting the funds directly to institutions. Officials involved in the matter say the development comes at a crucial time, with polytechnic admissions already underway and EAPCET counselling expected to commence shortly.Private college management representatives, however, have expressed concern over the new mechanism, saying it could create uncertainty over fee collection. “The scholarship amount will now go directly to the students’ accounts, and they are expected to pay the colleges. Our concern is not with students receiving the money, but with the absence of any mechanism to ensure that institutions actually receive the fee,” VS Ravi Kumar, secretary general of Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI), told TOI.Management representatives said a similar reimbursement framework introduced through an earlier GO had been challenged before the high court and claimed that certain provisions relating to fee collection had come under judicial scrutiny. They argued that institutions were apprehensive about the absence of a system to ensure that the reimbursement amount credited to beneficiaries ultimately reached the colleges.An official associated with the higher education sector confirmed that the fresh GOs had been issued and said the implementation mechanism was still being understood by various stakeholders. The official said there was some uncertainty regarding the timing of fee payments and reimbursements during the admission process and that a practical mechanism would have to be worked out for operationalising the new system.The official also indicated that the government had assured stakeholders that scholarship amounts would be released, though some procedural steps, including creation and processing of beneficiary records, would require time.