IIT fee doubled; 100% waiver for differently-abled, SC/ST, poor students
The decision comes just a day after HRD minister Smriti Irani said that students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and differently-abled categories will get a full tuition-fee waiver at all IITs.
The annual fee for undergraduate courses in Indian Institute of Technology colleges (IITs) will be hiked from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2 lakh from upcoming academic session, officials of ministry of human resource development (HRD) said on Thursday. The order to this effect is likely to be issued on Friday.
The decision comes just a day after HRD minister Smriti Irani said that students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and differently-abled categories will get a full tuition-fee waiver at all IITs. The general category students will get 0% interest free loan if they require.
Earlier, a proposal for a three-fold hike in annual fee of Indian Institute of Technology colleges -- from Rs 90,000 to Rs 3 lakh -- was approved by a panel last month, although the final decision needed the nod of HRD minister Smriti Irani. According to sources, the minister in her capacity as the chairperson decided to increase it to Rs. 2 lakh.
IITs have been trying to increase the fee for quite some time. The last meeting of the IIT Council held in October 2015 had taken up the issue but could not arrive at a consensus.
Read more: Cheap loans to cushion likely fee hike in IITs, NITs
Another recommendation by the Standing Committee of IIT Council (SCIC) is the proposal of a new entrance examination conducted by the National Authority of Test (NAT) should be held from 2017. Final decision in this regard too rests with Irani, it is learnt.
Students of NITs will also pay an increased fee of Rs. 1.25 lakh per annum from this academic year, which was approved last year.
