Mumbai: Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil on Friday warned that strict action will be taken against colleges that deny admission to girl students under the state government’s tuition fee waiver scheme. He said institutions found violating the policy could even face cancellation of affiliation.
Speaking during Question Hour in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Patil said the state government had introduced the scheme two years ago to encourage greater participation of women in professional higher education. The initiative, he said, has already led to a significant rise in enrolment of girl students across colleges in the state.
According to the minister, the number of girl students enrolled in professional courses increased from 85,068 in the 2023–24 academic year to 1,15,800 in the following year, registering an increase of nearly 41 per cent. He, however, noted that complaints had been received that some colleges were asking students to first pay fees and later claim reimbursement once government scholarship funds are released.
Patil said the government has made it mandatory for every college to appoint a nodal officer to ensure proper implementation of the fee waiver scheme. If any institution refuses admission to eligible students citing fees, the government will take immediate action, including the possibility of cancelling the college’s affiliation, he added.
The minister also informed the House that the government is taking steps to simplify the scholarship application process on the MahaDBT portal. The number of documents required for scholarship applications has already been reduced from 17 to eight, and further efforts are underway to streamline verification procedures.
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He said the government is prioritising timely disbursal of scholarships and reimbursements to colleges. Scholarships will be treated with the same priority as salary payments to ensure that students do not face financial difficulties, he added.
Patil further announced that a separate category for orphan students will soon be introduced on the MahaDBT portal to ensure they receive reservation benefits and a full fee waiver in higher education. Maharashtra already provides one per cent reservation for orphan students, but the absence of a separate category on the portal has created procedural hurdles.
The minister also said the government is planning to expand the “earn and learn” initiative, under which students can work in college libraries, laboratories or other campus activities and receive a monthly stipend of around Rs 2,000. Additionally, about 40 facilitation centres are being set up across the state to help students fill scholarship applications and resolve issues related to the process.
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