Victory for Medical Students: Private medical colleges asked to roll back fee in Uttarakhand

Dehradun: Private medical colleges in Uttarakhand have been asked to rollback the manifold hike in their annual fees, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said.

He told reporters here that the decision was taken in the interest of medical students who found it hard to meet the expenses.

"A direction to this effect was issued after students of private medical colleges here and their guardians approached me with a request citing ill-affordability of the raised fees," he said reports PTI.

However, the chief minister said the recent hike was effected by the administration of private medical colleges as they had to spend a lot over strengthening their infrastructure.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that last week on the last of the Budget presentation at Gairsain, the government had approved a proposal to allow private universities in the state to decide their fee structures on their own. Following the same, private medical colleges had immediately increased their fees. The fee at SGRR medical college which is nearly Rs 5 lakh at present was moved to jump to Rs 19 lakh per year

The students of the private medical colleges in the state, including those of the SGRR Medical College, were up in arms against the authorities for the hike staging dharnas to demand a rollback. Nearly, 300 students gathered outside Sri Guru Ram Rai to protest against the state government’s decision, which what they felt would result in an “exorbitant” fee hike. The protest which has been ongoing till now finally culminated in the government announcing on a roll back in the recent fee hike

Rawat also warned that arbitrary action by any institutions in the state will not be tolerated.

"If any of them act arbitrarily they will be sternly dealt with," he said.

Read Also: Steep Hike in MBBS fee at Guru Ram Rai Medical college, Students take to Streets