Soon in Uttarakhand: Private Medical College fee regulation act

Dehradun: Recently, the students of Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute Of Medical & Health Sciences(SGRRMC) called off their week-long protest against its 300 % fee hike for medical courses, immediately, after the state fee fixation committee and the higher education department announced their decision to formulate an act for fee regulation in private universities.

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Addressing a press conference, the state Higher Education Minister, Dhan Singh Rawat said, “We are preparing an umbrella act to regulate fee in private universities. The varsities can’t be allowed to increase fee according to their wish.”

The minister revealed that a notice was to be sent asking the Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute Of Medical & Health Sciences(SGRRMC) to explain the basis for it increasing the fee. The cabinet had earlier in a budget session at Gairsain passed a draft bill that allowed private universities to increase the fee for medical colleges run by them.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute Of Medical & Health Sciences(SGRRMC), following this, had hiked its fee from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 19 lakh for various courses. This hike had led to a student protest, which then led to CM Trivendra Rawat direct the college to roll back the increased sum of money. Despite the CM’s intervention the students had refused to call off their protest unless the fee structure was given to them in writing.

Monday brought fair tiding when the students called off their protest after the Indian Medical Association, Uttarakhand, officials intervened, convincing the varsity to give it in writing that there would be no increase in fee.

Dr D D Choudhury, Honorary General Secretary, IMA-Uttaranchal chapter told TOI: “Dr Ajay Khanna and I had a meeting with the university officials. We have also asked them to paste notice across the campus stating that the fee will remain as it was. This should be done within 10 days.”

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