‘Deploable Hostels, Delayed Scholarship’: Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to PM Modi; Demand for action on students’ issues Bharat News
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday highlighted two major issues to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he is obstructing educational opportunities for 90 percent of the marginalized communities.In a letter on June 10, Gandhi addressed poor conditions in residential hostels of backward communities and delayed their subsequent scholarship. The Congress leader said, “First, situations in residential hostels are disappointing for students of Dalits, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities.”Recalling his visit to Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, he said that the students have shared many concerns about the facilities situation. These included congested rooms, where 6-7 students were forced to share a single place, unhealthy toilets, unprotected drinking water, no proper disturbances and the complete lack of access to libraries or Internet.Gandhi also attracted attention to the marginalized communities on serious delays in destroying the scholarship after matriculation. He cited the example of Bihar, where the scholarship portal remained non-functional for three years, resulting in no student assistance during that period.He said, “Even after this, the number of Dalit students receiving the scholarship fell almost half to 0.69 lakhs in FY 23 to FY 23. The students further complained that the amount of scholarship is abusive,” he said.For immediate action, Gandhi urged the government to make all hostel audit to Dalits, Scheduled Tribes (ST), economically backward classes (EBCs), other backward classes (OBCs), and minority communities and to ensure sufficient infrastructure, hygiene, food and educational assistance to all hostel audit and ensure appropriate infrastructure. He also emphasized the need for timely disbursement of matriculation scholarship and increase in honored amount.Gandhi said that although he quoted Bihar as an example in his letter, such failures are prevalent throughout the country.
