Bhubaneswar: Poor and meritorious students from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in Odisha will not have to arrange admission fees upfront when joining government medical and engineering colleges, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed.Under the new arrangement, eligible students will be allowed to take admission without depositingadmission, tuition and other prescribed fees at the time of admission and for up to six months thereafter. The state government will issue detailed guidelines on the eligibility criteria and implementation process shortly.The decision is aimed at students who clear highly competitive entrance examinations but face difficulty arranging money immediately after securing a seat. The government said the gap between admission and the release of scholarship funds can create a financial hurdle for students from economically weaker families.

Why Odisha has taken the decision

According to the Chief Minister's Office, SC and ST students generally receive scholarships from both the Central and Odisha governments. However, scholarship processing and disbursement can take around three to four months after the required formalities are completed.The new system is intended to bridge that gap. Students can complete their admission first and pay the applicable fees after receiving their scholarship money, rather than arranging the entire amount immediately.This is particularly relevant for students entering professional courses such as medicine and engineering, where admission-related expenses can become an immediate financial burden for families with limited resources.

Fee payment will be deferred, not permanently waived

The announcement is important to understand correctly.The government has directed that eligible SC/ST students will not have to deposit the fees upfront and can defer payment for up to six months. Available information does not establish a blanket permanent waiver of all college fees. Students are expected to deposit the applicable admission and tuition fees after receiving their scholarship funds.The exact list of fees covered and the procedure students will need to follow will become clearer once the Odisha government issues its detailed guidelines.

Move follows reports of students struggling at admission

The decision comes after concerns over meritorious students being unable to immediately arrange admission money despite qualifying for professional coursesThe New Indian Express reported the case of 19-year-old Soumya Ranjan Sahu, from a financially disadvantaged family in Kendrapara district, who had struggled to arrange money for counselling and admission to the MBBS course at SCB Medical College in Cuttack. The report said Majhi took note of the issue before issuing the directive.The government now intends to ensure that a temporary shortage of funds does not prevent eligible students from taking up seats they have earned through competitive examinations.

What happens next?

The Odisha government will issue detailed guidelines specifying how the fee-deferment facility will work and which students will be covered.Until those guidelines are released, students and colleges will need to wait for clarity on the documentation, eligibility requirements and payment procedure.The immediate policy direction, however, is clear: eligible poor SC/ST students entering government medical and engineering colleges will get up to six months to arrange their applicable fees instead of having to pay them at admission.

New Delhi: The Directorate of Education (DoE), Delhi, has directed all government and government-aided schools to inform eligible Class 12 Science students about a free one-year residential coaching programme for JEE and NEET aspirants. The initiative, offered in partnership with the Dakshana Foundation, aims to support students from economically weaker backgrounds by providing coaching, accommodation and meals at no cost.

According to the circular issued by the Directorate, schools have been instructed to actively spread awareness about the scholarship among students studying in Class 12 Science during the 2026–27 academic session. Along with the circular, schools have also received the Dakshana Foundation's communication to principals and the notification for the Joint Dakshana Selection Test (JDST) 2027, through which eligible candidates will be selected

Students selected under the programme will receive one year of fully residential coaching at the Dakshana Valley campus in Kadus village, Pune, Maharashtra. Besides classroom coaching for JEE and NEET, the scholarship also covers hostel accommodation and meals, ensuring that selected students do not have to bear any financial burden during the programme. 

Admission to the scholarship programme will not be based on direct application alone. Students will first have to appear for the JDST 2027, which is scheduled to be conducted in December 2026. Candidates who qualify will then go through multiple stages, including application screening, mock tests, document verification and interviews before the final list of scholars is prepared

The scholarship is open to Class 12 Science students studying in government, government-aided and eligible public schools. To qualify, applicants must generally have an annual family income below ₹3 lakh. However, this income limit will not apply to candidates belonging to the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category. Students must also meet the prescribed Class 10 marks criteria in Mathematics and Science, with separate cut-offs applicable for different reservation categories, including General, OBC, EWS, SC, ST and PwD candidates. Eligibility requirements also vary slightly depending on whether a student is preparing for engineering (JEE) or medical (NEET) entrance examinations.

The Directorate has highlighted that many deserving students miss out on such opportunities simply because they are unaware of them. By directing schools to actively publicise the programme, the government hopes that eligible students will receive timely information and be able to apply before the selection process begins. For many aspirants, the cost of coaching remains one of the biggest barriers to preparing for competitive entrance examinations, making scholarship-based initiatives particularly significant.

The Dakshana Foundation has stated that it has been providing free coaching to students from government schools for more than 19 years. According to the organisation, many of its scholars have secured admission to prestigious institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and government medical colleges. These achievements have been cited by the foundation in its communication to schools to encourage wider participation in the programme. 

As part of the selection process, shortlisted candidates will first complete the Dakshana Scholar Application, appear for mock examinations and then take the online JDST at designated centres using the Dakshana Scholarship Test mobile application. Those clearing the examination will subsequently be invited for interviews and document verification before the final merit list is announced. The notification also includes details of the examination pattern and syllabus covering Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Logical Reasoning, enabling students to prepare in advance.

The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the principal of Thakur Ranmat Singh College in Rewa, highlighting grievances over non-generation of Sambhal Yojana card codes and pending scholarships. The action came after several students pursuing BBA and BCA courses complained they were being forced to pay over ₹25,000 in lump sum fees.

Sambhal Card Code Trouble

District president Pankaj Upadhyay, who led the delegation, said the absence of Sambhal card codes is making it impossible for students to avail fee waivers in instalments. “Without a generated code, the system pushes them to pay the full amount at once. Most of our students come from middle-class and farming backgrounds. This kind of upfront payment is unaffordable,” he told reporters outside the principal’s office.

Majority of the affected students are enrolled in professional courses that fall under the state’s Sambhal Yojana, designed to provide financial support to eligible categories. However, college authorities have reportedly not processed the codes on time, leaving students with no option but to pay the full annual fee.

Scholarship Delays Add to Crisis

The NSUI has also accused the college administration of collecting full fees under the assurance that scholarships would be reimbursed later. Upadhyay claimed that several students have not received their scholarship amounts for the past two academic years.

“They take the money upfront, and then keep saying the refund will come after the session ends. But years have passed, and families are still waiting. It’s a vicious cycle,” he said.

Local sources indicate that around 200 students across the BBA and BCA programmes are currently stuck in this limbo. With no clarity from the college or the state’s scholarship portal, many have had to borrow money or sell household assets to meet admission deadlines.

What the College Says

Principal of TRS College was not available for an on-record comment by the time this report was filed. However, a junior administrative staff member said, “The principal has received the memorandum. We are looking into the technical issues on the Sambhal portal. Scholarships are released by the state government, not the college.”

NSUI leaders rejected this explanation, pointing out that colleges are responsible for timely verification and code generation. They demanded that the principal issue a clear timeline for resolving both issues.

Three-Day Ultimatum

Upadhyay issued a stern warning: if no action is taken within three days, the union will launch an aggressive agitation in the interest of students. “We are not here to create trouble. But forced payment of ₹25,000 when the government clearly has a waiver scheme — that’s not acceptable,” he said.

The protest comes at a time when colleges across Madhya Pradesh are wrapping up admissions for the current semester. Education department officials have previously directed institutions to ensure no eligible student is denied benefits under Sambhal Yojana, but ground-level implementation remains patchy.

District administration sources said they have taken note of the issue. A meeting between college officials and NSUI representatives is expected within the next 48 hours. Meanwhile, students have been advised to keep their documentation ready for verification in case a fresh drive for Sambhal card codes is announced.

Vice-president Satyam Mishra, Rewa assembly president Sanskar Tripathi, district secretary Ajay Singh, and university unit president Vishu Vardhan Singh were among those present during the memorandum submission.