NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging the "deplorable" conditions in residential hostels for Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority students and the delay in post-matric scholarships for those from marginalised communities.
In his letter to Modi, Gandhi urged the PM to resolve these two critical issues which he said hinder education opportunities for the 90 percent of students who are from marginalised communities.
"Firstly, the conditions in residential hostels for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities are deplorable. During a recent visit to Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, students complained about single rooms which 6-7 students were forced to share, unhygienic toilets, unsafe drinking water, lack of mess facilities, and no access to libraries or the internet," the Congress leader said.
"Secondly, post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities are plagued by delays and failures," Rahul said, citing the example of Bihar where he claimed the scholarship portal was non-functional for three years and no student received scholarship in 2021-22.
"Even thereafter, the number of Dalit students receiving scholarships fell by nearly half, from 1.36 lakh in FY23 to 0.69 lakh in FY24. Students further complain that the scholarship amounts are insultingly low," Gandhi said in his letter to Modi dated June 10.
"While I have cited examples from Bihar, these failures are widespread across the country. I urge the government to immediately take two actions to remedy these failures," he said.
Gandhi called for audit every hostel for students from Dalit, Scheduled Tribes (ST), Economically Backward Class (EBC), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and minority communities to ensure good infrastructure, sanitation, food and academic facilities; and allocate adequate funds to address deficiencies. He also appealed for disbursement of post-matric scholarships on time, increasing scholarship amounts, and improving execution by working closely with state governments.
"I am sure you agree that India cannot progress unless youth from marginalised communities progress. I look forward to your positive response," Gandhi said in his letter to Modi.