Metro India News | Hyderabad 

A heated debate occurred in the Assembly between BRS, BJP and CPI MLAs and Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka regarding the outstanding fee reimbursement payments. Harish Rao, a Member of BRS, emphasized that the failure to pay these arrears has led to the closure of junior and degree colleges across Telangana.

He pointed out, "Final year students are at risk of losing an academic year due to the non-issuance of their certificates. The overdue payments amount to crores of rupees. To safeguard the future of thousands of students and educational institutions, it is crucial that at least Rs 2,000 crore be disbursed by the end of this month to alleviate their difficulties."

Another BRS MLA Palla Rajeswar Reddy, CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao and  BJP MLA Palvai Hari Babu have expressed concern over delaying the payments of fee reimbursement and demanded that State government release all arrears immediately. In response, Minister Seethakka addressed the concerns raised by the Members regarding fee reimbursement.

She stated that the Congress government has provided over Rs. 8,029 crore in funding to date and clarified that the state still has an outstanding obligation of Rs. 5,520.60 crore. Seethakka noted that the previous BRS government had left behind fee reimbursement arrears totaling Rs. 4,341 crore, which caused significant difficulties for students.

She mentioned that these arrears are being disbursed gradually. Seethakka appealed to college administrations to continue issuing certificates to students. "All college managements are being assured regarding the outstanding payments. Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka has already discussed the issue with them," she added.

The Minister explained that the allocation of funds for initiatives such as the crop loan waiver scheme is currently placing a slight strain on other departments. "Tokens have been generated for approximately Rs. 1,200 crore. The processing of bills is ongoing, and payments will be made in phases," Seethakka said.