Congress launches
signature campaign over Fee Reimbursement dues
·
Huge
students’ turnout at Congress meeting at Shamshabad
·
Don't
play with the lives of poor students, Uttam tells KCR
·
Congress threatens
agitation against TRS anti-students policies
Hyderabad, October
21: In a strong worded statement, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee
president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy warned Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao
against playing with the lives and careers of poor students in the State.
He was speaking after launching the signature campaign
seeking immediate clearance of Fee Reimbursement dues at Shamshabad on Friday.
The meeting, organised by National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Youth
Congress, was attended by nearly 10,000 students.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said it was strange that the Chief
Minister places Telangana among richest states in the country and also
introduces a budget of Rs. 1.30 lakh crore for the year 2016-17, but he
hesitates to release just Rs. 3,000 Crore towards Fee Reimbursement dues.
"He is openly playing with the lives of poor and deserving students. While
the poorest of poor parents gave highest education to their children during
Congress regime due to universal Fee Reimbursement policy, TRS Government's
anti-student policy is forcing lakhs of students to discontinue their studies.
This is criminal negligence and highly intolerable," he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Telangana State became a reality
only due to the sacrifices and struggle of students. However, he alleged that
KCR was suppressing the students and playing with the lives and careers of over
14 lakh students by stopping Fee Reimbursement payments. He reminded that that
the Chief Minister had given a clear assurance in the State Legislative
Assembly in March this year that all pending dues of Fee Reimbursement would be
cleared and the monthly payments would be made from April onwards. "KCR
has no value for his own words or any respect towards Assembly. He went back on
his promise and did not clear a single rupee towards Fee Reimbursement
dues," he said.
He said managements of private intermediate, degree, PG,
engineering, pharmacy, management and other colleges have represented to the
Congress party that 3,200 private colleges in the State are on the verge of
closure due to non-clearance of Fee Reimbursement dues. He also said that about
2.5 lakh lecturers and other staff of these private colleges had not been paid
salaries for the last six months. He reminded KCR that the universal Fee
Reimbursement scheme introduced by the previous Congress Governments was the
only one of its kind in the country.
The TPCC Chief said that NSUI and Youth Congress activists
would collect filled in "Application Forms" from students of all
educational institutions across Telangana State and the same would be forwarded
to the Chief Minister and Governor seeking immediate clearance of Fee
Reimbursement dues. Further, he said these applications would be handed over
AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who is visiting Hyderabad on December 2, and
he would take up the issue with the President of India.
The meeting was also addressed by AICC Secretary R.C.
Khuntia, SC Department Chairman Koppula Raju, former ministers P. Sabitha
Indira Reddy and D.K. Aruna, NSUI Telangana president Balmoori Venkat Narsing
Rao, Youth Congress president Anil Kumar Yadav and other senior leaders. TPCC
Vice-President Dr. Mallu Ravi, Congress legislators Rammohan Reddy, Vamshichand
Reddy, A. Sampath Kumar, M. Ranga Reddy, ex-MLAs Sudhir Reddy, Mallareddy
Rangareddy, Pratap Reddy, Kuna Srisailam Goud, Ranga Reddy DCC president
Mallesh Yadav and other leaders were also present. (eom)
No comments:
Post a Comment