The Department of Social Welfare is opening 30 nursing hostels in 28 districts on Tuesday to commemorate the 97th birth anniversary of the late prime minister Indira Gandhi, Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya said on Monday.
He told reporters that the hostels, named as Smt Indira Gandhi Hostel for Backward Classes Women, would start functioning in rented buildings from Tuesday. The intake would be restricted to 100 students per hostel. Students will get free boarding and lodging.
The department had earmarked rS 20 lakh to maintain each hostel and the annual expenditure would be Rs 6 crore. The cost of feeding each student would be Rs 1,000 per month. As many as 3,000 nursing students belonging to backward communities would benefit from the scheme.
He said the number of students pursuing nursing courses was more both in private and government colleges. Private hostels collect huge money from students to provide accommodation.
As they were not finding accommodation in post-matric hostels, the government decided to open hostels for them.
The hostels would be equipped with library, desk and other facilities. In case students have places to stay, they can have food in hostels. "There is no dearth of funds to continue the scheme," he added. Anjaneya said the hostels would be opened at three centres in Bangalore, one each in Chitradurga, Davangere, Chikballapur, Tumkur, Kolar, Shimoga, Mysore, Mandya, Chamarajnagar, Mangalore, Kushalnagar, Hassan, Udupi, Chikmagalur, Belgaum, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Gadag, Haveri, Dharwad, Dandeli, Gulbarga, Koppal, Yadgir, Bellary, Raichur and Bidar. Since there was no demand in Bangalore Rural and Ramanagaram districts, hostels were not sanctioned for them.
Two additional hostels had been sanctioned in Bangalore Urban district because of demand, he added.