After the government has decided on demonetization, in order to clamp down the threat of black money, the Human Resource Department (HRD) ministry is taking a cue from the central government and working towards ensuring a majority of its own institutions shift to a cashless mode of transactions for fees and salaries.
An official of the HRD ministry also mentioned that the office has received few complaints from parents and students that some of the private engineering colleges in the country have been demanding fees for the upcoming semesters in advance from students, and that a few colleges have also reportedly succeeded in collecting the same already. He reported that this was not a regular practice and also improper as per the norms, and that the HRD Ministry has taken the fee deposits in these institutions under keen scrutiny. It has also decided to check if these fees transactions are being made to park black money in any manner by the college authorities and promoters. As per sources, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is monitoring the issue, and if there is a need, it may forward the details to the concerned authorities for further action and involvement.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development, formerly known as the Ministry of Education, is accountable for the development of human resources in the country. It comprises of two departments, the Department of School Education that deals with primary, secondary and higher secondary education, and the Department of Higher Education, which deals with university education, technical education and scholarships across the country.