Chandigarh, June 4 -- The Punjab government has decided to cap fee hikes in private schools in the state at 5% annually, following the suicide of a 17-year-old student allegedly due to fee-related harassment.

The decision was announced by chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who said that the state government would put in place a sweeping regulatory framework that caps annual fee increases at 5%, mandates refunds of excess fees collected from parents wherever schools breached the annual limit during the last three years, and prescribes stringent penalties that can ultimately lead to cancellation of a school's recognition. "We will bring a bill in the next assembly session to enact the most stringent law in the country. An ordinance may also be ...