Amaravati: The government of Andhra Pradesh has decided to retain 35% of BTech and BSc Agriculture (Hons) seats at private colleges under the 'government' quota, as well as a fee ceiling for these seats.

Prof Hemachandra Reddy, head of the Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education (APSCHE) stated on Wednesday that the state government will also pay the tuition of students who are qualified for fee reimbursement under the 'Jagananna Vidya Deevena.'

The agreement is for the block periods of 2021-22 and 2022-23, according to a notice dated October 24. The fee cap applies to SRM University Amaravati, VIT University Amaravati, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Vizianagaram, and Bharatiya Engineering Science & Technology Innovation University, Anantapur, and varies from Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000.

The state administration, led by chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has taken steps to ensure that inexpensive education is made available to deserving kids from low and middle-class backgrounds. Officials claim that since private colleges charge expensive prices, decent education is out of reach for those who are deserving but unable to pay.

Prof Hemachandra Reddy said, "The vision of our Hon’ble CM is to make quality and affordable education available to every single student in AP. For a long time now, a lot of students hailing from poor or middle-class families have been either overburdened or have had to forego their seats in private universities due to the exorbitant fees collected by the authorities. That is the reason the Government has decided to fix the fee."

The government will allocate candidates to the 35% "reserved" seats based on the Common Entrance Test performed at the state level. No university will be able to collect additional fees or distribute seats allocated under the quota.

However, because the UGC is the governing agency for declared institutions, this regulation does not apply. However, the government has already written to the UGC, requesting the organisation to allow the government to do so, bearing the broader good in mind, and is awaiting a response, officials said.