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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Rahul Gandhi writes to PM over delays in scholarships for students from marginalised communities
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the 'deplorable' conditions students from the Dalit, Scheduled Tribe (ST), Economically Backward Class (EBC), Other Backward Class (OBC), and minority sections of the society have to deal with at residential hostels, along with the delays in post-matric scholarship disbursements. In a letter dated June 10, the Congress leader detailed a crisis in scholarships programmes, citing Bihar as an example where the scholarship portal allegedly remained non-functional for three years, resulting in no scholarships being disbursed during the 2021-22 academic year. He noted a sharp decline in beneficiaries, and said, 'The number of Dalit students receiving scholarships fell by nearly half, from 1.36 lakh in FY23 to 69,000 in FY24,' while adding that 'students further complain that the scholarship amounts are insultingly low'. The Lok Sabha leader of opposition cited his visit to the Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, where students reported severe overcrowding, with '6-7 students forced to share' single rooms, coupled with unhygienic toilets, unsafe drinking water, absent mess facilities, and no access to libraries or the internet. Gandhi claimed that these issues were not isolated to Bihar but 'represent a nationwide failure', hindering education for the vast majority of students from marginalised backgrounds. He called for immediate government action, a comprehensive audit of all hostels serving these communities to ensure basic infrastructure, sanitation, food, and academic facilities, backed by adequate funding; and systemic reforms to ensure timely scholarship disbursement, increased amounts, and improved execution in coordination with state governments. 'India cannot progress unless youth from marginalised communities progress,' Gandhi said. HT had reported in February that the Union Budget 2025 slashed funding for several scholarships. Funding for the National Fellowship and Scholarship for ST students was slashed by 99.99% (from ₹240 crore in 2024 RE to ₹0.02 crore in 2025 BE). The Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities saw a 72.4% reduction, and the Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities was cut by 69.9%. The National Overseas Scholarship Scheme faced a 99.8% cut. HT had also reported last week that over 1,400 PhD scholars under the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) face severe financial hardships as stipend payments have been stalled since January 2025 due to administrative hurdles following a change in nodal agency from UGC to NMDFC. The MANF scholars had also written to Gandhi asking for help regarding the disbursal of stipend. Separately, the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes (NFSC) selection process for June 2024 is also in troubled waters. After initially releasing a selection list of 865 scholars in March 2025 and issuing award letters, the National Testing Agency published a revised list in April, reducing selections to 805 and removing 487 previously chosen candidates.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Rahul Gandhi writes to PM, flags delay in scholarships for students from marginalised communities
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 per cent 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,' Gandhi said and cited the example of Bihar where he claimed the scholarship portal was non-functional for three years and 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,' 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 an audit of 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. The issues were also raised at a joint press conference by Congress' SC department chief Rajendra Pal Gautam, Adivasi Congress chief Vikrant Bhuria and AICC NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar at the Congress' Indira Bhawan headquarters. Kumar said Gandhi is continuously meeting students, employees and teachers from Dalit, backward, tribal, extremely backward and minority classes. 'Whenever we meet students from these classes, the first thing they say is that we do not get our scholarship on time. Scholarship drop out is very high in the country, because the government has made the entire scholarship process a punishment,' Kumar said. 'Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to Prime Minister Modi on the scholarship of students, other problems and hostel conditions. However, what action the government takes on this will be known only in the coming time,' he said. Kumar said student suicide is a big issue in the country with two students committing suicide every hour. 'The government is continuously reducing the education budget. Apart from this, the money of SC/ST sub-plan is also being diverted by the governments,' he said. The result is that children are struggling for basic rights like education and this is a big injustice against the deprived class, Kumar said. In his remarks at the presser, Gautam said, 'Recently, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi visited Dr. Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga. Students from various hostels came and met him there. What Rahul Gandhi saw was very sad and heartbreaking. There he saw that 6-7 students live together in one room, toilets are in a very dirty condition, there is no arrangement for drinking water, there is no facility of books in the library, there is no internet facility, and there is no facility of good food.' Gautam said. Children of SC/ST, EBC and minority class are forced to study in very bad conditions, he claimed. ''Even their scholarship is not given, because sometimes the server of the government portal is down, sometimes it does not work at all,' he said. Gautam also flagged the issue of suicides in hostels, saying biggest reason for this is the poor financial condition of many children, in which parents take loans at high interest rates for the child's education. 'Children think that they will study diligently, if they get scholarship, they will repay the loan taken for studies, but when the scholarship does not come, the loan keeps increasing, then the children come under pressure and take steps like committing suicide. It is sad that the government is not serious in this matter,' he said. Bhuria said the foundation of 'equal justice' in this country rests on the right to equal education. 'If we cannot provide equal education to children, then we cannot bring social revolution in the country. Today, the government is exploiting the children of SC, ST, OBC category by depriving them of education,' he alleged.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Deplorable hostels, delayed scholarships': Rahul Gandhi writes letter to PM Modi; demands action on issues of students
Rahul Gandhi writes letter to PM Modi (Image credits: ANI) NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi , wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday highlighting two major issues that he says are obstructing educational opportunities for 90 per cent of students belonging to marginalised communities. In the letter dated June 10, Gandhi addressed the poor conditions in residential hostels of students from backward communities and delays in their post-matric scholarships. "Firstly, the conditions in residential hostels for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities are deplorable," the Congress leader said. Recalling his visit to the Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar , he said students had shared several concerns about the state of the facilities. These included overcrowded rooms where 6–7 students were forced to share a single space, unhygienic toilets, unsafe drinking water, no proper mess facilities, and a complete lack of access to libraries or the internet. Gandhi also drew attention to the severe delays in disbursing post-matric scholarships to those those from marginalised communities. He cited the example of Bihar, where the scholarship portal had remained non-functional for three years, resulting in no student receiving aid during that period. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Classic Solitaire , Built for Desktop Play Solitaire Download Undo "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," he added. Calling for immediate action, Gandhi urged the government to audit all hostels for students from Dalit, Scheduled Tribes (ST), Economically Backward Class (EBC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and minority communities and allocate adequate funds to ensure proper infrastructure, sanitation, food, and academic support. He also emphasised the need for the timely disbursement of post-matric scholarships and an increase in the amounts awarded. Gandhi said that although he cited Bihar as an example in his letter, such failures are prevalent all across the country.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
In letter to PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi flags hostel crisis, scholarship lapses for students from marginalised community
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 per cent 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," Gandhi said and cited the example of Bihar where he claimed the scholarship portal was non-functional for three years and 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," 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.
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Rahul writes to PM, flags delay in scholarships for students 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. In his letter to Modi, Gandhi urged the PM to resolve these two critical issues which he said hinder education opportunities for the 90 per cent of students who are from marginalised communities. New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) 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. 'Secondly, post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities are plagued by delays and failures,' Gandhi said and cited the example of Bihar where he claimed the scholarship portal was non-functional for three years and 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,' 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. PTI ASK DV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
