Telangana Colleges End Strike After Government Releases Rs 600 Crore for Fee Reimbursement Arrears
Private professional colleges in Telangana have called off their indefinite strike, bringing relief to thousands of students. The decision came after the state government agreed to release Rs 600 crore immediately to clear pending fee reimbursement arrears. This breakthrough happened late Monday night during crucial talks in Hyderabad.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka led the government’s side, negotiating with leaders from the Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Education (FATHI). He explained that the government stepped in to address the tough spot faced by college managements and to protect students’ futures. "Even though it’s a big financial strain, we’ve decided to release Rs 600 crore right away for the fee reimbursement tokens already issued," Vikramarka said. As the Finance Minister, he also promised to settle the remaining dues in stages.
Vikramarka pointed fingers at the previous BRS government for the massive backlog of payments. To fix the system for good, he announced plans to form a committee that will review and rationalize the fee reimbursement scheme. Ministers Sridhar Babu and Uttam Kumar Reddy joined the talks, helping seal the deal.
The strike had shut down engineering, pharma, nursing, MBA, MCA, and B.Ed colleges across Telangana starting Monday. It all began on September 12 when FATHI sent a notice to the Telangana Council of Higher Education Chairman, Prof V. Balakista Reddy. The federation highlighted that Rs 10,000 crore in fee reimbursement arrears remain unpaid. They had demanded Rs 1,200 crore for existing tokens to avoid closing colleges indefinitely.
Earlier talks on Sunday didn’t work out, but both sides agreed to meet again. This time, the negotiations succeeded, and college managements quickly announced that classes will resume from Tuesday.
Vikramarka thanked the college leaders for ending the strike and committing to reopen soon. This move ensures students in Telangana’s private professional colleges won’t face more disruptions in their education.
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