Nagarjun Gowda
Vaddarahalli kasaba,
ankanayakanahalli post
Arkalgud taluk,
Hassan-573120
9844177045
Date:12/12/2023
To,
The Chairman
National Backward Class Commission
Government of India
Trikoot - 1, Bhikaji Cama Place
New Delhi - 110 066.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Subject: Urgent Complaint Regarding Non-disbursement of
Scholarships for OBC Students under State Scholarship Portal (SSP) Karnataka
I hope this letter finds you in good health. Myself Nagarjun Gowda, a student
pursuing my B.A., LL.B. program at Government Law College, Hassan, affiliated
to Karnataka State Law University. I am writing to bring to your attention a
critical issue regarding the disbursement of scholarships under the State
Scholarship Portal (SSP) for the academic year 2022-23, specifically affecting
students belonging to the Other Backward Class (OBC) community.
1. Scholarship Application:
I belong to the 3A Other Backward Class (OBC) community, and for the 2nd
academic year of my B.A., LL.B. program, I applied for the post-matric
scholarship through SSP, with SSP ID-21221096260.
2. Fee Payment:
Me and other students have duly paid the fees as per the fee structure established
by the college for the academic year, which amounts to Rs. 3910. This fee
structure, however, excluded the examination fee. For both odd and even
semesters, we were required to pay an additional Rs. 3000 as examination fees.
Despite discussions with the Principal, no resolution was reached, and the
Principal assured that the examination fee would be reimbursed through SSP.
3. Previous Academic Year:
In the preceding academic year, the college had only collected Application Form
Fees and Marks Card Fees for examination. Only examination form and marks
card fee was collected by OBC and SC/ST. This year, we had no alternative but
to pay the entire examination fee upfront. Subsequently, only Rs. 3190 has been
reimbursed by the Backward Class Welfare Department.
4. Correspondence with Authorities:
I have also communicated these concerns via email to the Registrar of Karnataka
State Law University and the Commissioner of the Department of Collegiate
Education. Unfortunately, no response was received from the Registrar of KSLU,
while the Department of Collegiate Education forwarded the matter to the SSP
Project Manager. As per the conversation made between SSP Project manager
Exam fees is Rs.2110 and Tuition fee is Rs.940 and sports fee is Rs.140 has
been entered by KSLU but no library fee is entered as per scheme.
5. Fees Eligible for Exemption:
As per the rules of the Backward Class Welfare Department, only five fees are
eligible for exemption: Tuition fees, Laboratory fee (only for courses requiring
laboratory usage), Examination fee, Sports fee, and Library fees. Therefore, the
actual reimbursement should be as follows:
- Tuition fee: Rs. 940
- Laboratory fee: Not applicable
- Examination fee: Rs. 2320
- Sports fee: Rs. 140
- Library fee: Rs. 100
Total: Rs. 3500
An additional Rs. 310 should be reimbursed to all students belonging to OBC
(2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B)
6. Incorrect Entry:
Regrettably, due to incorrect data entry by the University, none of the OBC
students have received the amount owed to them, which has resulted in significant
financial hardship.
7. Liability:
The negligence on the part of Karnataka State Law University in managing the
scholarship entry and disbursement process is now causing severe financial stress
and hardship among students. Should the government refuse to reimburse the
additional amount, the University shall bear the responsibility to reimburse the
full amount to all students for the academic year 2022-23
8. Irrelevant Special Instruction:
Point 4 of the special instruction in the examination notification has created
unnecessary confusion among the students and is irrelevant to the scholarship
issue.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTION IN EXAMINATION NOTIFICATION IS AS
FOLLOWS.
“4) In accordance with Notification issued by Commissioner of Backward
Welfare Department of Karnataka State (Notification No.397/2013 dated
05.09.2013), among all the candidates coming under SC, ST and only those
coming under Category – I, 2(A), 2(B), 3(A), 3(B) with annual income of not
more than Rs.1,00,000/- are exempted from paying Examination Fees for Fresher
Students Only and it is subject to the reimbursement of the exempted fees from
the government. (For any further information regarding fees exemption, you are
informed to inquire with the concerned Government department and reimburse
the exempted fees accordingly.) But these candidates must remit Examination
Form Fees (Rs.130/-) and Marks Card Fees (Rs.210/-). Further, Principals have
to furnish this information to State Government within 10 days and follow up the
issue with said department, in getting reimbursement of exempted fees and such
amount shall be remitted to KSLU, Hubballi within 3 days from reimbursement
from State Government.”
The discrepancy arises all colleges are reportedly collecting the full examination
fee of Rs.1,500 for each semester from all students, including those in the SC/ST
and OBC categories, contrary to the university's stipulated fees of Rs. 130 for
examination form and Rs. 210 for marks card. This raises concerns regarding the
university's adherence to its own regulations and necessitates clarification and
corrective action.
The delay in the disbursement of fees has adversely affected the performance of
the students in their examinations, and it has instilled immense worry and concern
among us. It is to be noted that 13,434 students are of OBC category studying
under KSLU.
Hence take necessary actions against the Karnataka state law university and the
backward class welfare department Karnataka and reimburse the additional 310
rupees for all the students for the academic year 2022-23.
Sincerely,
Nagarjun Gowda
9844177045