TRIVANDRUM, 2 March 2004 — Children of Indian migrant workers in the Gulf countries getting admission under the five percent quota reserved for them in the technical institutions, including the prestigious Regional Engineering Colleges, back home need not pay a hefty amount in fees any more.
The All India Council for Technical Education has issued notification abolishing the NRI fees for them and ordering that they be treated at par with resident citizens. The concession however would not be applicable to other categories of People of Indian Origin (PIO) and foreign students.
Kerala Education Minister Nalakath Soopy said the state Cabinet would soon decide on fresh norms for admissions based on the new regulations.
Children of Indian expatriates were allotted one-third of the 15 percent supernumerary seats, over and above the approved intake, across different disciplines. Both were part of the concessions announced by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at the Gulf NRI meeting at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi last month.
