New Delhi [India], June 11 : Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that that delays and failures plague post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities.
The letter came following Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to a Hostel in Bihar where students complained, among other things, about alleged lack of mess facilities.
"I request you to resolve two critical issues which hinder education opportunities for the 90% 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," Rahul Gandhi said in his letter dated June 10.
The Congress MP further further said, "Secondly, post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities are plagued by delays and failures. For example, in Bihar, the scholarship portal was non-functional for three years no student received a 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," the letter added.
The Lok Sabha LoP suggested that government should take two actions to overcome these difficulties
The letter reads, "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: Audit every hostel for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities to ensure good infrastructure, sanitation, food, and academic facilities; and allocate adequate funds to address deficiencies. Disburse post-matric scholarships on time, increase scholarship amounts, and improve execution by working closely with state governments."
"I am sure you agree that India cannot progress unless youth from marginalized communities progress. I look forward to your positive response," it added.