Telangana government urged to clear fee reimbursement dues of pharmacy colleges

The Telangana Pharmacy Colleges Managements Association, comprising 120 private colleges and 3 government colleges, with approximately 70,000 students, has urged the government to clear the fee reimbursement dues that are meagre compared to others.

The newly elected president Pulla Ramesh Babu and general secretary Kadiyala Satish said the government’s annual fee reimbursement liability towards pharmacy institutions is only around Rs 120 to Rs 130 crore, covering approximately 70,000 students across Telangana. They requested the government to clear the final year students’ dues first.

They said pharmacy students in Telangana were being absorbed in jobs immediately due to its pharma industry here contributing nearly 50–60% of the country’s pharmaceutical production. There is also a huge scope for research and employment in the clinical sector.

Regarding fees, they said Telangana has among the lowest pharmacy education fees in the country, at ₹50,000–₹60,000 annually, compared to approximately ₹1 lakh in other states. Nearly 90% of colleges operate solely on tuition fees.

Other newly elected office bearers include A. Prabhakar Reddy, Ashok Reddy, Habeebuddin, Talla Varun, Madhusdhan Reddy, Chiranjeevi and Naveen. K. Ramdass and T. Jayapal Reddy will be the chief advisor and honorary president, respectively.