MUMBAI: On the second day of a relay hunger strike by IIT-Bombay's M-Tech and PhD students over a 35-45% fee hike this year, institute authorities released an official statement detailing the manner in which students' concerns would be addressed. By late evening, a few hundred students who have been protesting the fee hike since Saturday responded with counter claims.
Four members from the elected student body would be added as permanent invitees to the fee committee, confirmed IIT-B. It was also decided to reduce the hostel amenities fund from the semester mess advance money paid to the hostels. Students with financial constraints, including those whose stipends are delayed, may get fee deferrals. IIT-B will also look at scholarships for masters' students with financial difficulties; students can pay the semester mess advance in two installments to avoid a large financial burden at the start of the semester. The IIT-Bombay administration held an open house with students on July 26 to discuss the fee hike. A percentage of IIT-B's funding comes from the government; it makes up 8% of IIT-B's revenue.
