TN plans to fund degrees in the world's top 100 universities and make students pay in kind.

TN plans to fund degrees in the world's top 100 universities and make students pay in kind.

The scheme will cover scholars’ academic and overseas living costs in exchange for three years of service to the state after graduation.

Binita Jaiswal

Updated on:

19 Oct 2026, 7:56 am

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government is planning to roll out a landmark scheme to fully fund the tuition and living costs of TN students who secure admissions to the world’s top 100 universities such as Stanford, Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge.

Under the proposed scheme, eligible scholars would have their full academic and overseas living expenses covered in return for a commitment to contribute to the state’s development for three years after their graduation.

The obligation can be fulfilled through three specific ways: working as policy advisers or consultants to the government, serving as visiting faculty at higher education institutions in Tamil Nadu, or setting up enterprises and investing in the state.

The ‘Respect for Knowledge’ proposal, which figures in TVK’s vision document for the Higher Education Department, aims to bring the expertise students acquire at leading international institutions back to Tamil Nadu through roles in government, higher education, and industry.

The proposal is intended to address concerns over brain drain by making overseas education an investment for the betterment of Tamil Nadu’s own institutions and economy, officials said.

According to a rough estimate, 35,000 to 40,000 students from Tamil Nadu go abroad for higher education each year. Of them, around 5% to 6% enrol in the world’s top 100 universities.

Officials also said graduates could bring global expertise into policymaking, strengthen teaching and research, and mentor students in the state. The details, however, are still being worked out.

Higher Education Secretary Dheeraj Kumar told TNIE that the department was consulting stakeholders to devise an arrangement that would be practical for both the government and the students.

“We are working on how to implement the scheme efficiently. It needs to be designed carefully, taking into account the concerns and feedback of students who go abroad for higher education. If the conditions imposed by the state are perceived as cumbersome or burdensome by the students, then the scheme may not achieve its intended objectives. We have to be very careful about it,” he said.

“We have our avenues for consultation and we are working towards an arrangement that is practical and mutually acceptable,” he added.

Officials said the department plans to consult students currently studying abroad, alumni of leading global institutions, and academicians in Tamil Nadu before finalising the framework.

Details including eligibility, the method of identifying the top 100 universities, the selection process and how graduates would fulfil their three-year commitment, are still being worked out, officials said. The policy will also have to specify what happens if a beneficiary does not meet the conditions.

NEWS TODAY 19.10.2026

 

Vettri Payanam scheme has hit our livelihood, say autorickshaw drivers and private bus operators

 Vettri Payanam scheme has hit our livelihood, say autorickshaw drivers and private bus operators

Massive shake-up: The Vettri Payanam initiative, which provides free travel for women across State Transport Corporation buses, has fundamentally altered commuter habits.M. Moorthy

C. Palanivel Rajan 19.10.2026

MADURAI

While the Tamil Nadu government’s newly expanded Vettri Payanam no-fare bus scheme has been lauded as a milestone for women’s empowerment and financial relief, it has inadvertently triggered a severe livelihood crisis for private transport workers across the State.

Autorickshaw drivers and private bus operators lamented that their daily collections have plummeted drastically, leaving them struggling to make ends meet.

The Vettri Payanam initiative, which provides free travel for women across State Transport Corporation buses — including express, deluxe, and mofussil services — has fundamentally altered commuter habits. With millions of women passengers shifting en masse to zero-fare government buses, traditional alternative transport providers are feeling the pinch. For autorickshaw drivers, who heavily rely on daily local commuters and working women for short-to-medium distance trips, the impact has been immediate.

A frustrated lot

Driven to desperation, frustrated share-autorickshaw drivers in Madurai have shared videos from major hubs such as Goripalayam and Sellur, pleading with women to ride for free and pay whatever they wish. “Our daily bookings have dropped by more than half,” said Murali, an autorickshaw driver in Madurai.

“Women who used to take an autorickshaw or share-autorickshaw for urgent commutes now prefer to wait for government buses. We completely support women travelling free, but with soaring fuel prices and loan repayments, our daily earnings are barely enough to feed our families,” he said.

Private bus owners are facing an equally grim reality. Unable to match the State-funded zero-fare model, private bus operators said they were fighting a losing battle against subsidised State Transport Corporations. Passenger volumes on private routes have dwindled, squeezing profit margins to near zero.

“We are expected to pay heavy road taxes, high diesel prices, and staff salaries without any government subsidy,” said a representative of the Tamil Nadu Private Bus Owners’ Association.

“How can private operators compete when a parallel government service that offers zero-fare travel on identical routes? Many operators are on the brink of closing down operations, threatening thousands of jobs,” he said.

Private bus owners pointed out that while State-backed welfare schemes successfully champion social goals, transitional safety nets, or regulatory adjustments are urgently needed to protect informal transport sectors.

Heavy rain expected in many districts in the next 24 hours

 Heavy rain expected in many  districts in the next 24 hours

Meteorological Department says north T.N. districts will get widespread rain. A low-pressure area has formed under the influence of the upper air cyclonic circulation over southwest Arabian Sea

Monsoon effect: Heavy to very heavy rain is likely in Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, and the Nilgiris on Monday.B. Jothi Ramalingam

The Hindu Bureau  19.10.2026

CHENNAI/COIMBATORE

Heavy rain, accompanied by lightning and gusty winds, is expected in Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, and the Nilgiris districts in the next 24 hours.

The Meteorological Department has said heavy rain was also likely to occur in isolated places with thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds, reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph, in several districts in the State, including Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Tiruppur, Tenkasi, Ranipet, Dindigul, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Salem, Theni, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Sivaganga, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Karur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Villupuram, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Tirupattur, Erode, and Namakkal, and Puducherry and Karaikal.

As the Northeast monsoon has been in the active phase, many parts of the State have been experiencing rainfall. “There exists a trough from Lakshadweep to west-central Bay of Bengal across Karnataka and south Andhra Pradesh between 1.5-3.1 km above mean sea level. Also, an upper air circulation is over north-interior Karnataka and neighbourhood at 0.9 km above mean sea level,” the department said.

Under the influence of the upper air cyclonic circulation over southwest Arabian Sea, a low-pressure area formed early on Sunday and it may become more marked in the next 24 hours. Heavy to very heavy rain is likely at isolated places in Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, and the Nilgiris districts on Monday. There will be widespread heavy rainfall in north Tamil Nadu districts. The next day, Theni, Tirunelveli, and Madurai districts will get very heavy rain and most of the State is expected to receive heavy showers.

On Wednesday, the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Madurai, Theni, Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, and Dindigul districts will receive very heavy rain.

Following this, rainfall intensity is expected to reduce, with Western Ghats, delta, and western districts expected to receive heavy rain. On Sunday afternoon, mobile alerts were received saying “As Chennai will be witnessing very heavy rainfall, people are asked to stay careful. Please follow the official weather reports.”

The message was sent by the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority. While the Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Chennai on Sunday afternoon, it was withdrawn later in the evening.

‘Personnel mobilised’

Meanwhile, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management K.A. Sengottaiyan said the government had mobilised 1.40 lakh personnel, including government officials, volunteers from non-governmental organisations, and others, as part of its preparedness measures for the Northeast monsoon.

Speaking to mediapersons at the Coimbatore airport, he added that 250 boats and their crew (fishermen) were also ready for deployment to carry out rescue operations in places prone to flooding.

UGC seeks governors’ help to ensure fee refund for cancelled admissions

UGC seeks governors’ help to ensure fee refund for cancelled admissions

Ragu.Raman@timesofindia.com 19.10.2026

Chennai: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has sought intervention from governors of various states over higher education institutions refusing to refund fees after cancelled admissions. The communication lists 150 complaints involving 82 institutions in Tamil Nadu relating to admissions cancelled during the academic years 2021–22 to 2025–26. Students paid fees ranging from 2,535 to 4 lakh. 

The listed institutions include 11 deemed universities, three private universities, 16 public universities and state-run institutions, and 54 private colleges, according to the details enclosed with the UGC’s communication. “UGC has made considerable efforts to ensure compliance, including forwarding student grievances to the institutions concerned and convening consultative meetings. However, these measures have not yielded the desired results, as the institutions continue to disregard the guidelines,” UGC secretary professor Shyama Rath said in a demi-official letter dated Oct 7. 

The letter was addressed to secretaries to the governors of 28 states, including TN. “Such violations not only infringe upon students’ rights but also erode the integrity and credibility of the higher education system. Despite repeated written communications and telephonic follow-ups with the universities concerned and their affiliated colleges, several institutions continue to disregard the UGC directives, thereby causing undue hardship to students,” Rath said. 

The UGC has requested the respective governor’s office to ensure strict enforcement of its fee-refund policy and issue directions cautioning institutions against further violations. Under the UGC’s 2024–25 fee policy, institutions must provide a full refund for admissions cancelled or migrated up to Sept 30.

NEWS TODAY 18.10.2026