Scholarship issue: TN govt backs SC/ST students

Chennai, Jan 31 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu government has written to the Centre not to insist on a minimum of 60 per cent marks for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe students to avail scholarships and announced it would provide scholarships as per the existing norms even if the Centre stuck to its stand for any reason.

Intervening in the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address in the State Assembly, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, referring to the agitation by the student community, especially the SC/ST students demanding withdrawal of the GO, said the State government had written to the Centre to drop its move.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in front of the state secretariat when members of the All Government and Private College Students Union (Tamil Nadu) Struggle Committee, launched an agitation against the Centre's decision.

Even as students tried to force their entry into the Secretariat, where the State Assembly was in progress, one of them created a flutter by dousing himself with kerosene and later climbing a signal post and threatening to jump to death.

Police thwarted his attempts and arrested him along with 40 other students for violating prohibitory orders and for unlawful assembly in front of the secretariat.

Last evening, students staying at the M C Raja hostel in Saidapet here resorted to a road roko, protesting the Centre's order.

Traffic was disrupted for more than two hours. The students were later removed from the scene.

UNI WS-SNR AM HT1540