Chief of Opposition within the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging the “deplorable” circumstances in residential hostels for Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority college students and the delay in post-matric scholarships for these from marginalised communities.
In his letter to Modi, Gandhi urged the PM to resolve these two vital points which he mentioned hinder training alternatives for the 90 per cent of scholars who’re from marginalised communities.
“Firstly, the circumstances in residential hostels for college kids from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities are deplorable. Throughout a latest go to to Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, college students complained about single rooms which 6-7 college students had been pressured to share, unhygienic bogs, unsafe ingesting water, lack of mess amenities, and no entry to libraries or the web,” the Congress chief mentioned.
“Secondly, post-matric scholarships for college kids from marginalised communities are stricken by delays and failures,” Gandhi mentioned and cited the instance of Bihar the place he claimed the scholarship portal was non-functional for 3 years and no pupil acquired a scholarship in 2021-22.
“Even thereafter, the variety of Dalit college students receiving scholarships fell by almost half, from 1.36 lakh in FY23 to 0.69 lakh in FY24. College students additional complain that the scholarship quantities are insultingly low,” Gandhi mentioned in his letter to Modi dated June 10.
“Whereas I’ve cited examples from Bihar, these failures are widespread throughout the nation. I urge the federal government to instantly take two actions to treatment these failures,” he mentioned.
Gandhi referred to as for an audit of each hostel for college kids from Dalit, Scheduled Tribes (ST), Economically Backward Class (EBC), Different Backward Courses (OBC) and minority communities to make sure good infrastructure, sanitation, meals and tutorial amenities; and allocate satisfactory funds to handle deficiencies.
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He additionally appealed for disbursement of post-matric scholarships on time, growing scholarship quantities, and bettering execution by working carefully with state governments.
“I’m positive you agree that India can’t progress except youth from marginalised communities progress. I sit up for your optimistic response,” Gandhi mentioned in his letter to Modi.
The problems had been additionally raised at a joint press convention by Congress’ SC division chief Rajendra Pal Gautam, Adivasi Congress chief Vikrant Bhuria and AICC NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar on the Congress’ Indira Bhawan headquarters.
Kumar mentioned Gandhi is repeatedly assembly college students, workers and academics from Dalit, backward, tribal, extraordinarily backward and minority courses.
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“Every time we meet college students from these courses, the very first thing they are saying is that we don’t get our scholarship on time. Scholarship drop out could be very excessive within the nation, as a result of the federal government has made your entire scholarship course of a punishment,” Kumar mentioned.
“Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to Prime Minister Modi on the scholarship of scholars, different issues and hostel circumstances. Nevertheless, what motion the federal government takes on this can be identified solely within the coming time,” he mentioned.
Kumar mentioned pupil suicide is a giant challenge within the nation with two college students committing suicide each hour.
“The federal government is repeatedly lowering the training price range. Other than this, the cash of SC/ST sub-plan can be being diverted by the governments,” he mentioned.
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The result’s that kids are struggling for primary rights like training and this can be a massive injustice towards the disadvantaged class, Kumar mentioned.
In his remarks on the presser, Gautam mentioned, “Not too long ago, Chief of Opposition Rahul Gandhi visited Dr. Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga. College students from numerous hostels got here and met him there. What Rahul Gandhi noticed was very unhappy and heartbreaking. There he noticed that 6-7 college students reside collectively in a single room, bogs are in a really soiled situation, there isn’t any association for ingesting water, there isn’t any facility of books within the library, there isn’t any web facility, and there’s no facility of fine meals.” Gautam mentioned.
Kids of SC/ST, EBC and minority class are pressured to review in very unhealthy circumstances, he claimed.
“‘Even their scholarship isn’t given, as a result of typically the server of the federal government portal is down, typically it doesn’t work in any respect,” he mentioned.
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Gautam additionally flagged the difficulty of suicides in hostels, saying largest cause for that is the poor monetary situation of many kids, wherein mother and father take loans at excessive rates of interest for the kid’s training.
“Kids suppose that they are going to examine diligently, in the event that they get scholarship, they are going to repay the mortgage taken for research, however when the scholarship doesn’t come, the mortgage retains growing, then the youngsters come underneath strain and take steps like committing suicide. It’s unhappy that the federal government isn’t critical on this matter,” he mentioned.
Bhuria mentioned the inspiration of ‘equal justice’ on this nation rests on the best to equal training.
“If we can’t present equal training to kids, then we can’t carry social revolution within the nation. Immediately, the federal government is exploiting the youngsters of SC, ST, OBC class by depriving them of training,” he alleged.