The Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to put in force a cap on the tuition fee reimbursement to 31 thousand two hundred rupees per student and introduce eligibility criteria under Tuition Fee Reimbursement Scheme to pursue higher education. This was decided at a meeting of the Cabinet Sub Committee and a panel of experts yesterday in Hyderabad in the wake of a recent ruling from the Supreme Court to implement Uniform Fee Structure in all the professional colleges. Our correspondent reports that the state government has been reimbursing 100 percent tuition fee for the students belonging to BC, EBC, SC- ST communities and Minority students to pursue higher education including professional courses like engineering and Medicine on the saturation basis for the past four years. In the wake of a recent ruling from the Supreme Court to implement a Uniform Fee Structure in all the professional colleges, the Government has reviewed the present scheme on the bases of recommendations from an experts committee to ensure continuation of the scheme as well as to see not to bear any additional burden. Accordingly, the Government has decided to put a cap on the tuition fee that will be borne by it to the present 31200 rupees to each student. It will make students to bear the rest of the tuition fee inevitably increased by the private professional colleges. An eligibility criterion also will be enforced to continue fee reimbursement to those students who clear at least 50 percent subjects in the previous year. As a result, the financial burden of the tuition fee will be borne by students for some extent while it will remain as same as now on the state Government. For the SC and ST students, it was decided to adjust the increased tuition fee with central funds. These changes will be affecting about 20 lakh students especially the BC, EBC and Minority students as they are coming into force from this academic year.