Maharashtra drought students in eligible areas across 265 talukas will receive an examination-fee waiver, with educational institutions directed not to collect the fee from them, the Directorate of Higher Education said on Wednesday. The relief applies to drought-affected talukas in 34 districts where drought conditions have been declared.
Higher Education Director Dr Shailendra Devlankar announced the measures at a press conference, stating that students facing financial and other educational difficulties should receive immediate assistance. The Directorate has established a central cell, while public universities in the state have been asked to create separate task forces to address student problems.
The support follows the declaration of drought conditions under Trigger-1 in 265 talukas. The Directorate said inadequate rainfall linked to the El Nino effect had contributed to the situation. Eligible students from these areas can seek examination-fee relief and assistance with other academic difficulties through the examination and evaluation boards and student development boards of their respective universities.
Universities will provide support through designated contact officers. The task forces are expected to resolve issues related to examination-fee waivers, academic difficulties and other assistance at the university level. The Directorate of Higher Education will review the work on the first and 16th of every month, creating a twice-monthly monitoring cycle for implementation.
The measure is intended to prevent financial hardship caused by drought from interrupting students’ education. While the announcement identifies the affected geography and the administrative channels for assistance, the supplied information does not specify the total number of eligible students or the overall financial value of the fee waiver.
Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil urged universities to go beyond merely implementing the government decision and to support students in a spirit of institutional responsibility. The department is also considering a dedicated dashboard to track student complaints and academic difficulties, follow up on unresolved cases and monitor the time taken to address them.
For students affiliated with Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, the listed contact officers are Dr Rajendra Talware at 9890642431, Dr Savita Kulkarni at 7720036774 and Ajay Thube at 7588169134. Students are advised to contact the relevant university authorities for examination-fee waiver requests and other academic assistance. The next administrative reviews are scheduled through the Directorate’s first-and-16th-of-the-month monitoring process.
