Rs 5-lakh fine for institutes running courses without AICTE approval

This rule will be applicable to courses of 12 months or more once Maharashtra State Unauthorised Institutions Act comes into force
An ordinance for Maharahstra State Unauthorised Institutions Act is ready and it will be tabled in the next Assembly session, said Higher and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Tope in the city on Friday. He also said the government has decided that the state will participate in nationwide Common Entrance Test (CET) for engineering exams from 2014-15 and not from 2013-14 academic session.

He said, "The ordinance for the Maharashtra State Unauthorised Institutions Act is ready and it will soon be presented before the state Cabinet. As per the proposal, any institution running a course of 12 months or more will be penalised if they don't have the approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). They will also have to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh and face up to one-year imprisonment."

As of now, courses in animal husbandry, agriculture, medicine and those related to social welfare/justice will come under this Act. Officials of joint director level will be authorised to initiate action against such institutions if reports or complaints are received. The appellate authority in these cases will be secretaries of the departments concerned.

While certificate courses of nine months duration or more will not be included in this Act, any course of 12 months or more will have to follow these guidelines. "As per the prevailing laws, including the Maharashtra State Universities Act, no concrete steps can be taken to curb the mushrooming of such courses and institutions, so we felt the need for this Act," said Tope.

Talking about the nationwide CET, Tope said, "The state Cabinet has approved the decision to join the CET from 2014-15. We have completely ruled out the possibility of it being done from 2013-14 as it will create undue pressure on students. We will go for a 50-50 weightage format, where 50 per cent will be for marks scored in the CET and the other 50 per cent will be for Class XII Board exams."

Ref : http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/rs-5lakh-fine-for-institutes-running-courses-without-aicte-approval/992958/