Rahul Gandhi urges PM to fix hostel woes, scholarship delays for marginalised students

THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK

New Delhi, June 11: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take urgent action to improve conditions for students from marginalised communities, citing serious lapses in hostel infrastructure and scholarship distribution.

In a letter dated June 10, Gandhi flagged the poor state of residential hostels, especially those meant for Dalit, ST, OBC, EBC, and minority students.

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Based on his recent visit to the Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, he highlighted overcrowded rooms, unhygienic toilets, lack of safe drinking water, and absence of mess, library, and internet facilities.

He also criticised the ineffective implementation of post-matric scholarships, noting prolonged delays, poor execution, and drastic drops in the number of beneficiaries.

In Bihar, no scholarships were reportedly disbursed in 2021-22 due to a non-functional portal, and the number of Dalit recipients halved from FY23 to FY24.

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Calling the problems widespread and not limited to Bihar, Gandhi recommended a nationwide audit of hostels to upgrade basic amenities and academic support, along with timely and increased scholarship disbursement through better coordination with states.