Relief for students, Delhi govt launches fee waiver scheme

In a major relief to the students who have to leave their higher education due to financial crisis, the Delhi government on Tuesday launched a merit-cum-scholarship scheme. The fee waiver scheme is for the needy students who pursue higher studies in any of the State Universities of Delhi.

According to a government spokesperson, the AAP government has allocated a budget of Rs 10 crore for the academic year 2017-18 for the purpose. The scheme is expected to benefit about 20,000 –25,000 students from poor and moderate means of income, he added.

Educational institutions included under the scheme, comprises, GGS Indraprastha University, Delhi Technological University, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Ambedkar University, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technological University for Women, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University.

The scheme would also be extended to the Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT) as and when the institution becomes a state university.

Students belonging to family with National Food Security card have been included under the scheme provision of 100 percent fee waiver.

Similarly, 50 percent fee waiver have been proposed for students who come from families with income up to Rs 2.5 lakh per annum and 25 percent fee waiver for students from families with income above Rs 2.5 lakh and not exceeding Rs.6 lakh per annum.

Similarly, a minimum of 60% marks would be mandatory for availing the scheme. A relaxation of 5% marks would be applicable for the students of SC/ST category.

Initially the scheme will be applicable to the students in any of the undergraduate courses, the official added saying, the required documentation has been kept as minimum as possible.

"It is a proud moment for the people of the national capital that Delhi will be the first state to provide fee waiver to students from families with income up to Rs 6 lakh per annum," said, Delhi government spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday announced that around 4 lakh students studying in class 10, 11 and 12 of 1029 Delhi government school will get one-on-one guidance from educational and vocational counsellor in their respective schools,

Sisodia, who is also Education Minister of Delhi, after inaugurating the project, told media persons that the government has launched India's largest career counselling and guidance project which will be implemented by iDreamCareer.com (iDC) with support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), India and Central Square Foundation.

"Students studying in class 10, 11 and 12 of 1029 Delhi government school will be going through a psychometric career assessment test, followed by one-on-one guidance from an Educational and Vocational Guidance Counsellor (EVGC) in their respective schools," Sisodia said.

"Every student will get an online personalized career guidance dashboard where the student can access information on 500 plus careers and 350 plus entrance exams," Education Minister added.

The portal is also available in Hindi language. Additionally all the 480 counsellors in EVGC bureau of DoE will be trained and they will also be getting an online counsellor dashboard so as to access student's report, access career information and chat with their mapped school student, he said.