India, June 22 -- The Punjab cabinet on Monday decided to cap the annual fee increase by unaided schools in the state at 5%.

The council of ministers, led by chief minister Bhagwant Mann, accorded formal approval to the draft proposal presented by the state education department. Briefing the media after the meeting, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the cabinet has approved an ordinance that will become law immediately upon receiving Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria's assent.

Elaborating on the decision, state education minister Harjot Singh Bains explained that unaided schools that have arbitrarily hiked fees by more than 15% cumulatively over the past three years will have to refund the excess amount to parents. Bains ...