Fee subsidy for pvt engineering students extended

Panaji: State govt has notified the extension of its scheme to subsidise fees for students studying in private engineering colleges in Goa. It is done for students seeking admission in 2025-26 as well. The DJ-GIFT (diamond jubilee govt investment for technical education) will continue to have 12 lakh as the income limit for the family of the student availing benefits under the scheme.Under the scheme, a student pays a fixed amount notified by govt annually as the base fee, and the rest of the amount is paid by the state.For students entering first-year degree courses in 2025-26, the base fee will be Rs 1.1 lakh per year. This will increase to Rs 1.2 lakh in the second year, Rs 1.3 lakh in the third year of college, and Rs 1.4 lakh in the final year.For engineering programmes at private colleges in Goa, the annual fees can go up to Rs 2 lakh per annum. In such circumstances, a student will pay Rs 1 lakh, and the balance will be paid by the state.Students get a heavy fee subsidy under the scheme.Last year, govt hiked the income limit for students to avail themselves of the concession from an annual family income of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 12 lakh. With this, nearly all students joining Goa’s private engineering colleges will be covered under the scheme. The fees at the state-run Goa engineering college are already subsidised.Officials said that 90% of students joining the first year of the engineering programme are expected to benefit from the scheme.When govt introduced the DJ-GIFT, there was no income limit for those who could avail of the fee subsidy.Students admitted in the 2025-26 academic year for a diploma in engineering and hotel management will also continue to benefit under the scheme. The base fees under the scheme will be Rs 30,000 per year for a diploma in engineering and Rs 75,000 per year for a diploma in hotel management and catering technology.