✎ Private medical colleges illegally extorting SC/ST students despite government scholarships.
Relevance for Banking, SSC & RBI Grade B exams: Science & Technology
Parents of SC/ST students pursuing medical education in Tamil Nadu’s private colleges have alleged that these institutions are demanding exorbitant cash payments—ranging from ₹6 lakh to ₹10 lakh annually—under various heads like “development fee,” despite the government covering tuition fees under the post-matric scholarship scheme. Affected families claim they were forced to sell assets, take high-interest loans, or even mortgage property to meet these demands, with colleges refusing to issue receipts, making the transactions opaque and vulnerable to exploitation. The issue has led to nearly 1,400 SC/ST medical seats remaining vacant annually in the state, as parents either cannot afford the extra burden or fear losing their children’s admissions. Activists from the Ambedkar Kalvi Centenary Movement (AKAM) Foundation have demanded Income Tax Department raids during admission seasons to curb these practices, highlighting the systemic discrimination faced by marginalized communities in accessing higher education.
This issue is relevant for banking and government exam aspirants as it underscores systemic financial irregularities in India’s education sector, a topic often probed in RBI Grade B’s economic and social development sections. For SSC exams, the case reflects challenges in implementing welfare schemes like post-matric scholarships, testing candidates’ understanding of government policies and their execution gaps. Additionally, the demand for a fees fixation committee and withdrawal of G.O. 72 highlights the need for regulatory oversight in private education, a critical aspect for banking exams assessing financial governance and consumer protection frameworks.
Source: The Hindu
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