Press Releases Archive

Private engineering and medical colleges Making a killing: Dr. JP

“Managements of private engineering and medical colleges are getting richer by a minimum of Rs.1000 crore and a maximum of Rs.2000 crore during this academic year by illegally and unabashedly selling management quota seats for a hefty premium.”

Disclosing this today, Lok Satta Party President said that according to information which is public knowledge, managements of reputed private engineering colleges are offering management quota seats for a capitation fee of Rs.12 lakh, and medical colleges for a capitation fee of Rs.40 lakh for MB&BS seats and Rs.1 core for post-graduation seats.

Talking to media representatives who met him, Dr. JP said that nowhere in the world such huge capitation fee is collected for admission to professional colleges.

Dr. JP made it plain that the Lok Satta is not opposed to professional colleges in the private sector. But it expected them to adhere to Supreme Court guidelines and transparent norms in admissions. The Supreme Court, he recalled had fixed a fee of Rs.91,700 for a paid engineering seat and Rs.2 lakh for a paid MBBS seat. The fee for a seat under the management quota for engineering is Rs.91,7000 and Rs.4 lakh for a medical seat. Managements are allowed to fill 30 percent of engineering and 40 percent of medical seats.

Dr. JP said that if the fee fixed by the Supreme Court is inadequate, the managements could legitimately seek an increase but should not indulge in sale of seats for the highest bidders.

In Andhra Pradesh, the managements of medical colleges will be making Rs.300 crore by selling 30 percent of the 2050 seats. Assuming that engineering colleges will sell only 15000 of the 200000 seats (notwithstanding the fact they can fill 30 percent of the seats under their quota), they will make not less than Rs.750 crore. “These are minimum estimates since the going rates for both medical and engineering college management quota seats is very, very high.”

In contrast, Dr. JP said, engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu which have formed into a consortium have fixed the rates for management quota seats.

Dr. JP wanted the Government to immediately intervene and halt blatant exploitation of students and parents and flagrant violation of laws and regulations by private college managements. He added that he was hopeful of Government intervention.

Friday, July 31, 2009 - 20:39

Cancel web counseling, demands Lok Satta

The Lok Satta Party today demanded immediate cancellation of web counseling and its replacement by personal counseling for admission to engineering colleges to ward off avoidable inconvenience and troubles to students and parents.

Talking to the media, party spokesmen Katari Srinivsa Rao and V. Laxman Balaji said that under web counseling students are thrown into confusion, as they have to choose out of 3000 options in 577 of the 641 engineering colleges.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao, an assistant professor in an engineering college and Mr. Laxman Balaji, an engineer, pointed out that for want of Internet facility, rural students are forced to come to urban areas and stay there for days on end merely to take part in web counseling. If there is disruption in power supply during registration, the students have to repeat the process right from the beginning. The process is playing havoc with the future of students.

The Lok Satta leaders said that there are a number of engineering colleges without the basic infrastructure and teaching faculty. Some college managements are openly selling seats for up to Rs.10 lakh each. The Government should ensure that the seats under the NRI and management quotas are filled as per strict and transparent norms.

The spokesmen said the AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education), which encouraged proliferation of engineering colleges even without basic amenities, did not bother about maintenance of standards in them. A solution lay in total decentralization of the AICTE, they said.

Thursday, July 30, 2009 - 17:07

Follow Gujarat to curb spurious Liquor: Lok Satta

The Lok Satta Party today demanded that the Andhra Pradesh Government enact a law to curb manufacture and sale of spurious liquor, arrack and ‘gudumba’ like the Gujarat Government.

It may be recalled that the Gujarat Government has amended the Prohibition law providing for seven to ten years of imprisonment for those found guilty of spurious liquor manufacture, transport, storage and sales. It the spurious liquor results in any death, the guilty will attract death penalty.

Talking to the media, party spokesman Katari Srinivasa Rao and Mahila Satta State Convener S. Saroja Devi pointed out that the Andhra Pradesh Government viewed liquor as a source of revenue and encouraging its consumption. “The Government is expected to earn an income of at least Rs.10,500 crore by way of excise duty, sales tax and other fees during the current financial year. The people will be spending not less than Rs.15,000 crore on liquor consumption.”

The Lok Satta leaders pointed out that already 70 lakh families have been ruined by the liquor evil. The Government liquor policy under which the shops are auctioned to highest bidders will result in proliferation of unauthorized outlets (belt shops). “People are already going without nutritious food in the wake of the escalation in the prices of essential commodities including pulses. If they fall victim to the liquor menace, their health will be in ruin.”

The Lok Satta wanted the Government to halt liquor shop auctions. Instead, the Government itself should run the business through limited outlets.

The Lok Satta said, the High Court order on GHMC elections vindicated the party’s stand that the reservations were done irrationally.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 - 16:50

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