NELLORE: Thousands of poor students, who scored good marks in SSC and want to study in corporate colleges, are in dilemma, as the government has not commenced the process till date.

From 2006-07, the State government has started extending financial assistance to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, who studied in government-run schools and hostels and have scored good marks in tenth class in all districts in the State.

The DRDA officials were organising counselling since three years for the top rankers who are financially poor and admit them in private and corporate colleges as per their choice.

The government used to pay Rs.35,000 per head towards tuition fee and Rs.3,000 as miscellaneous expenses to the institution managements.

This year, the government has not announced the counselling so far and the students are in dilemma over continuing the scheme.

According to official sources, more than 200 students who studied in various government schools and social welfare and tribal welfare hostels fared well in SSC and have scored above 500 marks in the examinations this year.

The district administration provided admission for 234 meritorious students in private junior colleges in 2008-09 and 299 economically poor students availed the scheme in 2009-10. Besides, several students from the neighbouring districts (for instance `Kadapa Ratnalu' from Kadapa district) are studying in corporate institutions in Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district.

Rs.1.50 crore dues

Meanwhile, the government owed about Rs.1.50 crore to the college managements towards providing `free education for poor students' since last year and the private colleges are not coming forward to admit the students.

When contacted DRDA Project Director L. Vijay Chander said there were no instructions so far over admitting the SSC passed students in private junior colleges on behalf of the government. “If we receive any orders we will start the process immediately”, said the Project Director.