Drought-hit students in Maharashtra’s public universities are being allowed to submit examination applications without paying examination fees, according to a report by Lokmat – Pune. The report says 2,40,365 students across 26 public universities have received the benefit, although an attributed statement by Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil cited a different figure of nearly 1.75 lakh students.
The fee waiver follows a government decision directing that students from drought-affected talukas should not be charged examination fees. The measure is intended to prevent the financial impact of drought from interrupting students’ education. Students who had already paid the fee are reportedly being considered for refunds, while those yet to submit their examination applications have been given a “zero challan” option.
According to the report, the Higher and Technical Education Department did not limit the decision to issuing an order. Regular review meetings were conducted, with implementation monitored across the Directorate of Higher Education, universities and examination directors. The report says universities subsequently issued circulars instructing their examination systems not to collect fees from eligible students.
The arrangement places the administrative burden on university examination systems to identify eligible students and process applications without payment. It also creates a separate refund process for students who paid before the waiver was implemented. The report says the number of beneficiaries could eventually exceed 5 lakh as the fee-waiver process continues.
The report attributes to Patil the statement that no student from a drought-affected family should face an examination-fee burden and that the waiver process would continue so that no eligible student was excluded. However, the figure cited in that statement does not match the report’s stated count of 2,40,365 students. The department would need to clarify whether the two figures refer to different implementation stages, categories or university groups.
Higher Education Director Dr Shailendra Devlankar is also quoted as saying that efforts are under way to explore corporate social responsibility funding for waiving hostel fees for affected students. The department is additionally considering whether students working under the Earn and Learn scheme can receive increased honoraria. These measures were described as proposals under consideration, rather than implemented benefits.
The immediate issue is therefore twofold: ensuring that eligible students can submit examination forms without payment, and maintaining a clear, verifiable account of how many students have received or will receive the relief. The department’s continuing implementation review and clarification of the beneficiary figures will determine the final scope of the programme.
