BC unions to protest on Jan. 24 demanding fee reimbursement, scholarship

HYDERABAD: Sixteen Backward Classes unions on Sunday gave a joint call for a state-wide agitation on January 24 to demand that the government clears Rs 3,300 crore worth of arrears of fee reimbursement and scholarships for students in the previous two academic years.

They also demanded that the state government increase the scholarship for students from BC, SC and ST categories from Rs 5,500 per year to Rs 20,000 to keep pace with inflation. They said students from BC and EBC categories should get full fee reimbursement on par with students from SC and ST communities.
They asked students to boycott classes on January 24 and hold rallies to district collectorates and mandal revenue offices, after a meeting here on Sunday.
BC Welfare Association president, YSRC Rajya Sabha member R. Krishnaiah, said the scholarships were finalised five years ago and were not sufficient now. Krishnaiah demanded an increase in mess charges for college students in welfare hostels from Rs 1,500 per month to Rs 3,000 and for school students from Rs 1,100 to Rs 2,000.

The other demands include setting up of an additional 120 BC residential schools and 50 degree colleges in proportion to the population of BC communities, setting up of 300 college hostels for SC, ST, BC community students, Rs 20 lakh scholarship to BC category students who apply for overseas education, extension of fee reimbursement scheme for students pursuing education in IITs, IIMs, implement BC Bandhu scheme on par with Dalit Bandhu.