IIT M.Tech fee hike not for existing students: HRD
New Delhi: The HRD Ministry said on Sunday that the recent hike in fees for M.Tech courses at Indian Institutes of Technology will not impact existing students.
It said the hike will be applicable on fresh admissions only and "needy students" will be provided necessary financial support.
"There is no fee hike for the existing students. For new admissions, hike will be gradual over a period of three years or more, as will be decided by the respective Board of Governors of IITs," the Human Resource Development Ministry said in a statement.
"All concessions and scholarships for SC/ST/OBC and others will continue without change. The fee hike will discourage non-serious students, who after a few months of stay in IITs, leave the programme midway to take up employment or to prepare for competitive exams," it added.
The IIT Council led by Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' had on Friday approved a proposal to hike the fee of the masters programme and bring it to the level of the B.Tech courses.
The decision was taken on recommendations of a three-member committee on reforms on M.Tech programme in IITs.
"The fee for the M.Tech. programmes in IITs have not been revised for a long time whereas the cost per student has gone up substantially. No student will be deprived of opportunity for education because of weak financial condition," the ministry said.
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Bridge portion collapses on Jammu outskirts; 3-4 labourers feared trapped, 1 rescued
Jammu (PTI): A portion of a small bridge collapsed in the Bantalab area on the outskirts of Jammu city on Friday, trapping at least three to four labourers under the debris, while one injured worker was rescued, official sources said.
Authorities have closed the road link following the collapse of the portion of the bridge.
The incident occurred when labourers were carrying out repair work on a retaining wall near the bridge that was damaged in last year's flash floods, the sources said.
According to the sources, a section of the bridge suddenly gave way, burying workers engaged at the site under the rubble.
Police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams launched rescue operations to extricate those buried under the debris. They pulled out one injured labourer and shifted him to a hospital, the sources said.
Family members of the labourers present at the site said around six workers engaged at the site at the time of the incident came under the debris when the structure collapsed. The family members said while two of the labourers managed to escape, four got trapped.
The sources said those trapped included the husband of a woman labourer, a mason, an unmarried labourer and a relative of the contractor.
There was no official confirmation on the exact number of persons trapped under the debris till the filing of this report.
The rescue operations are ongoing.
