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NDTV
5 hours ago
- Business
- NDTV
Himachal Cabinet Okays OBC Quota In Urban Local Body Elections
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Thursday decided to introduce reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Urban Local Bodies in the upcoming elections and gave nod to operation of lotteries in the state. The cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also recommended the governor to convene the Monsoon Session of Vidhan Sabha from August 18 to September 2, the government in a statement said. So far there is reservation for women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes in the Urban Local Bodies elections. A Backward Classes Commission would now be constituted for compiling the accurate data of OBC before finalising the reservation roster. The cabinet also gave its nod to the sale of lotteries in the state. Lottery was banned in the state by the Himachal government headed by BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal in 1999 and made its violation punishable under Lotteries (Regulation) Act. The cabinet on Thursday granted a one-time relaxation of two years in the upper age limit for the people appearing for the competitive examination for Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) and Junior Basic Training, (JBT) posts. It also decided to reserve one seat for orphans in all courses in the government, government-aided and private technical institutions, including ITIs, polytechnics, engineering and pharmacy colleges. The cabinet granted an ex post facto approval to grant rent money in aid to families affected by natural disasters living in relief camps. Families in rural areas would get Rs 5,000 and urban areas Rs 10,000 each month in their bank accounts for a maximum of six months. The cabinet ordered posting of two home guards each at distilleries, bottling and brewery plants to check illegal activities there. It approved the auction of 10 minor mineral quarries in Kangra district and the re-auction of 11 such quarries in Bilaspur district - the move is expected to generate Rs 18.82 crore in revenue, the government said. The cabinet also approved setting up of a Tourism Investment Promotion Council, to be headed by the chief minister, to oversee projects with investment of over Rs 50 crore. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) was empowered to issue a HIM bus card to eligible commuters. The cabinet announced the launch of Phase-II of the Himachal Pradesh Sadbhawana Legacy Cases Resolution Scheme, 2025, for a period of three months from September 1 to resolve around 30,000 pending tax cases.
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
How shortage of hostels hampers the higher education of SC/ST girl students
Rohini Bhadarge and her friends staying at the nearly 10 Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) hostels for girls in Mumbai have spearheaded several 10 protests in the last four years. Their demands included construction of more hostels, implementation of various scholarships dedicated for the marginalised sections, and proper utilisation of funds allocated under the Department of Social Justice. Finally, the government accepted one of their demands and built a hostel with a capacity of 1,000 students recently. Already the hostel has problems such as leakages in bathrooms and creaking doors. Walls have developed cracks in the first floor of the building, says Rohini Bhadarge . A final year student of Master of Fine Arts, Ms. Bhadarge says, 'We are unsure about the stability of the building. The meritorious students in the marginalised sections will be given first preference during the hostel accommodation in Mumbai. The rest with average marks will have to find their own means, if interested in continuing education, for accommodation in this big city. The food is non palatable and provides us low quality rice'. Ms. Bhadarge stays in a hostel in Chembur which is located adjacent to a slum. 'This place gave us access to education. But the atmosphere is not right. We keep hearing cuss words and noises from the slums. It is usual for us to see drunken boys outside our hostel. It is not a safe place here. Nearly 15 hostels are located in and around Mumbai. The hostel density is lesser in the interior districts such as Nanded and Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Though students are selected based on their marks, the dropout rate is higher. There are instances where girls had committed suicide due to discrimination in the educational institutions and feeling isolated in the hostels. They become mentally weak as the environment is not conducive,' says Ms. Bhadarge. Hostels built many decades ago In Tamil Nadu, dropout rates among the SC/ST community are typically higher than for others as they travel from rural to urban areas where these hostel facilities are inadequate. According to the latest figures released by the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department, 28,530 girls staying in welfare hostels study in schools while only 5,849 students are enrolled in colleges. Some 315 girl students in the hostels are enrolled in postgraduate courses in the State. As an alternative arrangement to the inadequate number of hostels, the government has converted private buildings into SC/ST hostels for women. 'Current hostels were built by N. Sivaraj during his tenure as a mayor of erstwhile Madras in 1940s. Successive governments have expanded or renovated these facilities but they are still insufficient to cater to the existing number of students. In Sivakasi, the government doubled a private residence into a makeshift hostel. Over 50 college students were asked to share two rooms and three bathrooms. Children are suffering as they have to wake up at 4 a.m. in the morning to use the washroom,' says Shalin Maria Lawrence, a Dalit social activist. On anonymity, a second year sociology student studying at a SC/ST girls hostel in Vepery shares that nearly 20 students occupy a single room. 'Two students share a cot and cupboard. We got adjusted to it. Till now, I have not received any grants from the government. I had filled up forms and submitted a bank passbook copy with the concerned authorities,' she says. She utilises the grant of ₹1,000 per month she gets under the Pudhumai Penn scheme for her personal expenses. 'I use this money for my expenses and ask my elder siblings when in dire need,' she says. In Tamil Nadu, e-grants scholarship for post-matric students from Scheduled Tribes communities have been stopped owing to the Union government's share of funds being long overdue. The State bears 25 percent and the Center's share is 75 percent. In Maharashtra, for the past 10 years, the stipend provided to children stands at ₹800. 'There is a rule to increase the stipend for every 2 or 3 years. The current stipend is insufficient to manage our travel expenses,' says Ms. Bhadarge. Model State slips Kerala, which is ranked as the best performer in the Gross Enrollment Ratio, fares poorly in ST girl students when compared to all categories GER. 'There are only five post-matric hostels for SC/ST students in the State. Out of this, only two or three are run by the government in its own building. The rest are run in private buildings. There are inmates in these hostels of more than carrying capacity. They will not otherwise get a chance to study. The other issue is non-payment of e-grants to the students. They are supposed to receive around ₹3,000 per month as their grants during their time of studies. They are not timely given to the students who migrate from their hometowns to the city for studying in the colleges. They are having tough times to cope up in the city with barely no money in their hands,'says M Geetanandhan, Chairperson of Indigenous People Collective in Kerala. In Kerala, e-grantz 3.0 is the online centralised system for disbursement of schemes for all post-matric SC/ST students. The beneficiaries receive the amount in aadhar linked bank accounts. The organisation has demanded for the increase in e-grants and number of seats in government run hostels. The same issue persists in self-financing courses and professional courses. 'The educational institutions compel the students to pay fees in advance as the e-grants are not provided, at some instances, even till the completion of the courses. A few students were not provided with transfer certificates as they had not paid fees in the institutions,' says Lydia, a volunteer with Adishakti Summer School which works for marginalised communities in the State. Positive note In Telangana, the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS), Ministry of Welfare. (TGSWREIS) runs high schools, junior colleges, and degree colleges covering both arts and sciences. According to official sources, 17,185 girl students in welfare hostels are in higher education. 'The government has taken initiative to upgrade residential junior colleges in the already existing campus. Around 25 degree colleges purely for girls have been established to encourage girls higher education. In recent times, they are getting better education. They have to be expanded to other areas,' says Mallepalli Laxmaiah, Chairperson, Center for Dalit Studies.
United News of India
16 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
MP Indra Hang Subba raises demand for Limboo-Tamang seat reservation in Lok Sabha
Gangtok, July 31(UNI) Bringing long-standing concerns to the national spotlight, Sikkim's Lok Sabha MP Dr Indra Hang Subba yesterday raised the critical issue of political representation for the Limboo and Tamang communities in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly. Addressing the Lok Sabha, Dr. Subba made an earnest appeal to the Centre to fulfill the long-pending constitutional demand for seat reservations for these two Scheduled Tribe communities. The Limboo and Tamang communities were officially recognized as Scheduled Tribes (STs) in 2003. However, even after more than two decades, they continue to be denied dedicated representation in the state assembly. This delay, according to Dr. Subba, is not only deeply unjust but also a violation of constitutional provisions designed to safeguard the political rights of marginalized communities. Dr. Subba referred specifically to Article 371F, which provides special provisions for the State of Sikkim, and Article 332, which deals with reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in legislative assemblies. Despite the recognition of Limboo and Tamang as STs, the Representation of the People Act has yet to be amended to reflect the need for seat reservation. This legal inaction has left these communities politically sidelined for over 20 years. The Sikkim MP reminded the House that the issue is not merely administrative or political—it is constitutional and moral. 'The constitutional rights of the Limboo and Tamang people must not remain on paper,' he said. 'It is the duty of the Government of India to ensure that every recognized tribe is granted equitable political participation, in letter and spirit.' Dr. Subba also stated the urgency of the matter by highlighting the upcoming delimitation exercise, scheduled to be conducted after 2026. He called upon the Union Government to take timely action and incorporate necessary amendments in the Representation of the People Act before the delimitation process begins, so that the legitimate demands of these communities can be addressed without further delay. The issue of Limboo and Tamang seat reservation has been a matter of public discourse and political advocacy in Sikkim for several years. Successive state governments and various tribal organizations have repeatedly urged the Centre to resolve the matter. However, no conclusive steps have been taken so far, leading to growing discontent among the two communities. UNI XS PPP AAB
India Today
17 hours ago
- Business
- India Today
Karnataka Minister pushes for special fund to support young OBC entrepreneurs
Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar urging the creation of a special 'fund-of-funds' to support young industrialists from Other Backward Classes (OBC) his letter dated July 26, Lad cited data from the 2015 Social and Educational Survey, which showed that OBCs make up 70% of Karnataka's population. He argued that the absence of a dedicated financial mechanism was discouraging young entrepreneurs from these communities from entering the industrial there is no separate fund to bolster young industrialists from these communities, they are staying away from the industry sector. Thus, it is mandatory to institute a separate fund at the government level,' the minister wrote. He called for immediate action, saying such a fund could bridge the gap in representation and opportunity in the state's industrial April this year, the state's caste census commission recommended increasing the OBC reservation quota in education and employment from 32 per cent to 51 per cent. If implemented, this would push total reservation in the state to 85 per cent, including 10 per cent for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and 24 per cent for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST).The commission also advised the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government to introduce horizontal reservation within existing quotas, for categories like women and persons with disabilities, across all vertical groups such as SC, ST, and OBC.- EndsTune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Karnataka
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Natarajan bats for promoting women leaders
HYDERABAD: AICC in-charge for Telangana Meenakshi Natarajan on Tuesday stressed the importance of promoting women leaders in the party at her review meetings with party leaders of Medak, Hydeabad and Warangal district. The AICC in charge, who interacted with them at MLA quarters, asked them to encourage the participation of women in party and facilitate that they are nominated to positions both in party and government. Natarajan also advised according priority to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), minorities, and Backward Classes (BCs) for party roles. Besides, she instructed that 80% of party or nominated positions be allocated to leaders below 50 years of age, with the remaining 20% reserved for those above 50. The review meeting was attended by District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents, MLAs, and senior leaders from Medak, Hyderabad, and Warangaly. According to sources, Meenakshi Natarajan sought updates on the ruling Congress government's implementation of welfare schemes and the distribution of ration cards across the state. During the discussions, Natarajan inquired about the preparedness of party cadre for the upcoming local body elections. She specifically asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the Congress in various Assembly segments to strategize effectively. Sources revealed that Natarajan directed leaders to prioritise original Congress members in constituencies where Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs have defected to the Congress, stressign that a 70% preference be given for old guards and 30% for new entrants. Some leaders reportedly raised concerns about MLAs being sidelined.
