Students of Sri Guru Ram Rai Medical college (SGRR) here protested on Tuesday against the state government’s d... Read More

DEHRADUN: Students of Sri Guru Ram Rai Medical college (SGRR) here protested on Tuesday against the state government’s decision of allowing private medical colleges to decide their own fee for MBBS and MD courses. In the budget session at Gairsain which concluded on Monday, the government had approved a proposal to allow private universities in the state to decide the fee structure of their medical colleges. Over 300 students gathered outside Sri Guru Ram Rai to protest against what they said feared be an “exorbitant” fee hike.

A first year MBBS student on condition of anonymity said, “With the government’s decision the fee which is nearly Rs 5 lakh at present will jump to Rs 19 lakh per year. How will our parents pay that much?” The students will be joined in their protest on Wednesday by pupils from two other private colleges in the state - Himalayan Medical College and Subharti Medical College.

Bhupendera Raturi, senior PRO of SGRR, said, “Ever since NEET has been implemented in the country, fee of students has gone up to Rs 20 lakh. The recent decision by the Uttarakhand government and the private medical colleges’ fee regulation committee has given authority to private medical universities to decide their fee. We are calculating the new fee.”

Parents of students studying in medical colleges under the aegis of Private Medical University Joint Parents’ Association, Uttarakhand, led by Ravindra Jugran requested the state government to revoke the decision, claiming that it went against the directions laid by the Supreme Court.

In 2006, the apex court had asked all states to formulate a state fee regulating committee chaired by a retired judge of high court which would take a balanced decision on admission and fee of private medical colleges in the country. The state fee regulating committee in Uttarakhand had approved the government decision on March 12.