To check arbitrary fee hikes by private unaided schools, the Punjab Cabinet on Monday approved an ordinance to amend the Punjab Regulation of Fees of Unaided Educational Institutions Act, limiting the annual increase in fees and funds to a maximum of 5 per cent.The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains later briefed the media about the Cabinet decisions.“After the ordinance comes into force, no unaided private school will be allowed to increase its fees or funds by more than 5 per cent annually,” the ministers said.The ordinance will now be sent to the Governor for approval.The government has also decided to act against schools that made ‘unreasonable’ fee hikes in the past three years. The excess amount collected will be refunded to the parents, officials said.High-level panel for exceptional casesEducation Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that if any school feels it needs to raise fees beyond 5 per cent, it will have to approach a high-powered committee to be constituted by the state government. The committee will examine the school’s case and also get its financial audit conducted.Bains added that the records of such schools have already been seized with immediate effect to prevent any manipulation and to provide relief to parents.The move comes after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s announcement on June 3 that no private school would be allowed to hike fees by more than 5 per cent annually.The decision assumes significance in the wake of a tragic incident in Amritsar recently, where a 17-year-old meritorious girl student allegedly died by suicide due to immense pressure and mental stress over heavy school fees.Industrial incentives scheme clearedIn another decision, the Cabinet approved a one-time scheme for industries that were given subsidies and concessions under the industrial policies from 1978 to 2003, but later closed down. These units had earlier been excluded from certain benefits.Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the scheme has been introduced so that eligible closed industries can avail the incentives they were entitled to under the old policies.The ordinance and the new industrial scheme are expected to provide relief to parents as well as support to genuine industrial units in the state.