At present, a student in the general category pays Rs. 300 (as a draft) as application fee, while SC/STs pay Rs 100. The proposal seeks to bring the application fee for the blind on par with SC/STs.

However, the waiver can be availed only for those courses for which applications are still open.

‘‘The proposal is as good as passed. We are just waiting for a formal notification,’’ Vij says.

‘‘Of the almost 10,000 blind students who pass out of CBSE, only around 1,000 eventually come to Delhi University. Most of the blind students are very poor, studying in charitable hostel schools and they cannot afford education in DU,’’ says Biresh Pachisia, counsellor at the Department of Adult Continuing Education and Extension, who is also president of the Blind Students Association in Delhi University.

Meanwhile, the Association has also proposed hostel facilities for blind girl students. At present, D.U. has a 100-seater hostel for blind male students at Kingsway Camp.