AICTE gets strict with NRI quotas

The notification, issued on April 24, to the Central and state governments and concerned universities states that the status of students applying for the quota has to be seen in the context of NRI as defined in Income Tax Act, 1961.

‘‘An individual is Non-Resident when he/she is ‘‘not a resident’’ as ‘‘not ordinarily resident….NRI seats means the seats for admission of NRI to the programmes in technical in ‘Technical Education’.’’

Of the 50 per cent paid seats that are open to all students to sundry technical institutes, five per cent is kept reserved for the NRI and PIO students. The NRI quota was introduced to help cash-trapped tech-institutes raise foreign exchange and get quality students from abroad.

‘‘The NRI quota, as it exists now in the IIT and other technical colleges, remains cancelled,’’ AICTE chairman Professor R. Natarajan said.

The fee for the 5 per cent higher-payment NRI students is determined by concerned state-level fee committees. ‘‘Against NRI seats, only a person who is NRI himself/herself may seek admission and no other candidates without NRI status will be eligible.’’

The fresh guidelines are applicable to all the approved technical institutions. In case of ‘‘self-financing’’ institutions, 50 per cent seats will be treated as free seats and 50 per cent as payment seats. Of the payment seats, 5 per cent of total intake will be marked out for NRIs.