Bhopal, Mar 18: Medical Education Minister Gauri Shankar Shejwar today announced in the state Assembly that the government would hold talks with the management of Ujjain's RD Gardi Medical College for reducing the fees charged from students who took admission in 2005.

Shejwar gave this assurance after repeated prompting by Speaker Ishwardas Rohani upon persistent demand by Dr Sajjan Singh Verma and other Congress members, who raised the issue through a call attention notice. ''It is incorrect to say that the fee was abruptly raised by Rs 80,000 annually'', he said. The minister was hesitant to reconsider the issue saying the Fees Fixation Committee had fixed the fees on the Supreme Court directive.

The students, who were initially charged Rs 1.61 lakh as annual tuition fee, gave an undertaking to pay the difference if a higher fee was fixed. The students were charged higher fee on the basis of the undertaking they had given while taking admission, the minister justified, adding the committee fixed Rs 2.80 lakh as annual fee to be levied from students enrolled in 2006 and 2007. The management, later, agreed to charge Rs 2.26 lakh from 2006 students and Rs 2.42 lakh from 2007 students. Dr Verma and Rajnaryan Singh claimed the medical students were on hunger strike as many poor students could not afford steep hike in tuition fees from back date.

Thumb impressions to mark Profs' attendance opposed

By Our Staff Reporter

Bhopal, Mar 18: Both opposition and ruling party members in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly today opposed the practice of taking thumb impressions of professors and other college teachers on biometric machines to record attendance. ''This practice of taking fingerprints was humiliating, belittled the dignity of professors and should be stopped forthwith,'' said Indrajit Kumar, Satyadev Katare (both Congress), Brijendra Tiwari and Gajraj Singh Sikarwar (both Bharatiya Janata Party) who moved a call attention notice in this regard.

Higher Education Minister Anup Mishra defended use of the machines to record attendance of college teachers by saying that such a practice was in place even at the Mantralaya where attendance of class-one officers was also marked. Mishra said that he would draw the Cabinet's attention to introduction of such a system in all departments. He made this assurance when Sikarwar and other members wanted to know whether such a system would be made applicable for collectors and police superintendents also.v ''The bureaucratic decision was thrust upon professors,'' Sikarwar claimed, adding that it should be withdrawn. Mishra also denied any irregularity or corruption in purchase of the machines through the State Electronics Development Corporation. The Congress members alleged that college principals were being pressurised to purchase the machines at higher cost.

Title deeds for slum-dwellers

By Our Staff Reporter

Bhopal, Mar 18: The State government is considering providing all slum-dwellers permanent title deeds and has decided to construct 32,345 dwelling units for the poor at a cost of Rs 521.61 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Replying to a debate on budgetary demands in the Assembly today, Urban Administration and Development Minister Narottam Mishra said, ''a decision was taken to make plots available to the poor at a token lease rent of Re 1 per annum.''

After the Minister's reply, budgetary demands exceeding Rs 2,385 cr were passed by voice vote.