<p>(Representative image)<br></p>

BHUBANESWAR: To encourage differently-abled students to pursue higher education, the Odisha government has decided to exempt them from paying fees in government and government-aided educational institutions .

The secretary to the higher education department has written to all higher educational institutions asking them to implement the government’s decision immediately, said higher education minister Ananta Das .

“The differently-abled students like those with impaired or no vision and who use Braille for studies, hearing-impaired and dumb students, orthopaedically-handicapped students with disability of more than 75% will be exempted from tuition fees and examination and certificate fees for pursuing higher education,” the mister said.

The minister also said students who have already paid such fees would be refunded their money.

The department has also sought a status report on exemption of fees for such students by October 9.

Though the differently-abled students in school-level are exempted from paying all kinds of fees, they were making payments in colleges and other higher educational institutions.

