 "IITs hike fees by more than double, from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2 lakh")
Annual fees for undergraduate courses at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been hiked from Rs 90000 to Rs 2 lakh, registering a rise of over 120 per cent.
The move comes a day after Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani promised full fee waiver for students belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and differently-abled categories at the IITs.
The Standing Committee of the IIT Council (SCIC) had recently approved a threefold increase in fees for undergraduate programmes at IITs from Rs 90000 per annum to Rs 3 lakh, and sent the same for approval to MHRD.
However, as against the proposal to hike the fees by 200 per cent to Rs 3 lakh, MHRD officials have reportedly stated that a hike of over 120 per cent to Rs 2 lakh per annum has been approved, which will be implemented from the upcoming academic year.
Addressing an event in Surat on Wednesday, Irani had said that, apart from full fee waiver for SC, ST and differently-abled students, students from families with annual income of less than Rs 5 lakh will be given a 66 per cent concession in tuition fees. According to Irani, the move is likely to benefit close to 50 per cent of the 60,471 students enrolled at IITs.
Currently, IITs have a 15 per cent quota for SCs, 7.5 per cent for STs and 27 per cent for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
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In the past, IITs have revised fees in 1998, 2008 and 2013. For instance, in 2008, the IITs doubled the fee for undergraduate courses from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 a year.
Currently, fees for about 22 per cent of SC/ST students and 25 per cent of students with annual family income of less than Rs 4.5 lakh are waived. Resultantly, the latest revision in fee will not impact about 48 per cent of the students.