Punjab Engineering College to provide financial aid to needy students

PEC director Dheeraj Sanghi said a complete waiver is not possible, but financial help will be provide to students who genuinely need support

Punjab Engineering College (PEC) has decided to provide financial assistance to students who require it, for the next semester.

Representative image/HT

The decision comes after some students sought fee waiver as the economy has been hit amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

PEC director Dheeraj Sanghi said, “A complete fee waiver is not possible, but we will provide financial help to students who genuinely need support.”

Last month, PEC had announced Covid emergency fund for providing financial help to students. The institution’s alumnus will contribute to the fund.

Classes for the next semester which will be held online, is scheduled to start from July 27.

For granting financial aid, PEC will identify students who need the institution’s assistance. A proper screening will be held before financial assistance is granted.

“We might set up a committee for this. I have received many emails from students seeking fee waiver, but we want to make sure that students who genuinely need it get assistance,” Sanghi said.

Meanwhile, after there was a delay in receiving planned grant of ₹5 crore for the first quarter of this financial year from UT administration, PEC received its planned grant for the second quarter, but with 15% deduction. PEC gets around ₹60 crore from the Chandigarh administration every year, of which ₹20 crore is a planned fund, which the college gets paid in four equal instalments of ₹5 crore in every quarter.