Regardless of a 2024 Supreme Courtroom ruling towards increasing non-resident Indian (NRI) quota standards in Punjab, Panjab College (PU) has launched comparable provisions. For the 2025-26 session, PU will reserve 10% of seats past the sanctioned power for wards of NRIs.
PU vice-chancellor prof Renu Vig mentioned of their authorized opinion, they concluded that the order was for medical schools in Punjab and never for PU, which is why they’ve gone forward with an analogous admission coverage for NRI college students for the 2025-26 session. (HT File)
The apex courtroom had dismissed a set of petitions difficult a Punjab and Haryana excessive courtroom (HC) order that had quashed the Punjab authorities’s transfer to broaden the NRI quota standards. A bench led by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud had condemned the growth of NRI quota in Punjab’s medical schools, calling it a “fraud” that forces extra meritorious college students out of the admission course of. The bench had mentioned that such a broad interpretation of NRI eligibility, which even allowed distant kinfolk to qualify, amounted to a “money-spinning tactic” that undermines the integrity of training system.
PU additionally affords reservation of 10% seats over and above the sanctioned power for NRIs and NRI wards. A candidate should fulfil the criterion for NRI standing below the Earnings Tax Act, within the yr by which he/she seeks admission in PU.
Nonetheless, these 10% seats additionally embrace wards of NRIs which represent anybody who’s in a primary diploma blood relation with an NRI. This contains partner, youngsters, paternal and maternal aunts and uncles, maternal and paternal grandparents and first diploma maternal and paternal cousins of the candidate. The rules point out that first precedence will probably be given to NRIs over their wards.
PU had sought authorized opinion concerning this in September 2024, following the SC order. Nonetheless, vice-chancellor prof Renu Vig mentioned of their authorized opinion, they concluded that the order was for medical schools in Punjab and never for PU, which is why they’ve gone forward with an analogous admission coverage for NRI college students for the 2025-26 session.
In the meantime, College Grants Fee (UGC) additionally doesn’t have any provision for admission to wards of NRIs. There’s a provision for overseas nationals, as per which 25% supernumerary seats over and above the full variety of sanctioned seats in every undergraduate or postgraduate course are reserved for overseas nationals in PU as properly. This contains anybody who holds a overseas passport.
In a bid to attract extra overseas college students to the varsity, PU affords price concessions to college students from underdeveloped nations. College students from non-English talking nations needn’t qualify IELTS or TOEFL examination if they’ve handed decrease examinations from an English medium board, establishment or college.
The NRI ward admission is a method for the college to get more cash. For the College Institute of Engineering and Know-how (UIET), the first-year charges for bachelors in engineering, in 2024-25, was round ₹1.21 lakh whereas NRI college students needed to pay over ₹5 lakh.
Nonetheless, PU additionally loses out in varied rankings due to a low presence of worldwide college students. Dean worldwide college students Kewal Krishan mentioned this yr they are going to take to the social media and promote PU programs for overseas college students alongside comparable traces with some non-public varsities of the area. Admissions will begin with the brand new session from July onwards.
In 2024-25, there have been 24 overseas nationwide college students and 59 college students below NRI and wards of NRI class within the college.