Though the Nagpur Regional Office of the OBC Welfare Department has sent the applications received from the colleges regarding reimbursement of the scholarship, the amount of over Rs 150 crore is pending with the Government. The amount includes some dues of the last academic year too.

All professional colleges such as Engineering, Architecture, Pharmacy, Medical, MBA, etc. run by Self Finance Institutes (Private colleges) are facing severe financial crisis. Scholarship is distributed through various departments as per the categories. The scholarship amount that is being given against the fees of students of the OBC category is shared by the State and Central Government in a 40% and 60% ratio, respectively.

 

Vidarbha Un-Aided Engineering Colleges Management Association said that though some colleges received the amount for the years 2023-24 and 2024-25, there were many awaiting their share. During the Devendra Fadnavis Government, the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system was introduced. The system was good, but once the amount was deposited, the students avoided giving the amount to their colleges. Now colleges have to submit their applications to the departments, respectively, which reimburse the scholarship amount. The Nagpur Regional Office forwards the bills to the Head Office, which, in turn, approves those and deposits the amount through DBT.

 

It has become very difficult for all professional colleges to release the salaries of the teaching and non-teaching staff on time, deposit the PF and TDS deductions on time, and meet other expenses such as payment of electricity bills, advances to staff, etc. In the majority of the institutes, the payment of salaries has been pending for the last 6 to 8 months or even more. Students of SC category also are not receiving maintenance allowance and examination fees.

An office-bearer of the college told ‘The Hitavada’ on condition of anonymity, “Every year, we have to face this problem. Why doesn’t the Government establish a system by which the colleges would get the reimbursement meticulously? There is a Government Resolution according to which the 90% disbursement should be effected before the start of the session. Unfortunately, since its inception, it is not been followed. How come Government fails to implement its own rule is a million-dollar question.”