Gujarat govt partially rolls back fee hike in 13 GMERS-run medical colleges

On Tuesday, Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel announced that the fee hike will be rolled back. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting held in Gandhinagar, he added.

“Under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the fee hike in GMERS-run colleges was reconsidered during the cabinet meeting today. The increase of Rs 5.5 lakh has been reduced to Rs 3.75 lakh, and under the management quota, the hike of Rs 17 has been reduced to Rs 12 lakh,” Patel, who is the state party spokesperson, also posted on X.

This indicates a reduction of 80 per cent and 62.5 per cent, respectively, in the recently announced fee hike in GMERS-run colleges.

Patel further said that the state government, in the interest of the students, has also decided to reduce fees for 2,100 MBBS seats in the 13 GMERS-run colleges. This fee structure will be applicable from the medical academic year 2024-25, Patel added.

On June 28, the Gujarat government — through a government resolution (GR) — had issued a notification for hiking fees in GMERS-run colleges for 2024-25. Under the government and management quotas, the previous annual fee of Rs 3.30 lakh and Rs 9 lakh were increased to Rs 5.50 lakh and Rs 17 lakh — an increase of 67 per cent and 88 per cent, respectively.

Earlier this month, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president and MP Shaktisinh Gohil had demanded the withdrawal of the recent fee hike for medical courses in GMERS-run colleges. He had also written a letter to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Health Minister over the issue.

Students and political parties, including the NSUI and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), meanwhile, staged statewide protests on the 13 GMERS-run colleges campuses.