Ensure fee reimbursement under Shahu Maharaj scheme: CM

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today instructed district Collectors to convene meetings of representatives of those educational institutes which have not reimbursed fees to students under a government scheme, an official release today said.

Students get a hefty reimbursement of fees under the Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Free Reimbursement Scheme, which was one of the sops offered to poorer sections of the Maratha community (as well as those in other 'general category' communities) by the government when the community leaders first agitated for quota in education and jobs.

The agitation has now been revived.

Hostels for Maratha students, which the government had promised earlier, should be opened in unused government buildings or private buildings (if new buildings are not available readily) by the end of August, the chief minister toldthe officials, the release said.

Fadnavis interacted with divisional commissioners, collectors and CEOs of Zilla Parishads through video conference at Mantralaya here.

Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, Higher and Technical Education Minister Vinod Tawde and Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain also took part in the meeting.

Patil informed that the first hostel for Maratha students started in Kolhapur today.

The government had announced that it would open hostels for Maratha students in each district of the state.

The chief minister also reviewed the situation of rainfall and crop sowings.

Officials should guide cotton farmers as to how to go about pesticide spraying to tackle the pink bollworm attack, the chief minister said.

Nearly 20 tehsils including some parts of Aurangabad, Beed, Jalna, Ahmednagar, Solapur and Nadurbar districts are facing extended dry spells in the last two weeks. Collectors of these districts should take immediate steps to help farmers, he said.