Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to resolve the two critical issues of deplorable hostel conditions and delays in post-matric scholarships which hinder education opportunities for students from marginalized communities, including Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minorities.

In the letter, shared by the Congress party on X, Gandhi wrote, “I request you to resolve two critical issues which hinder education opportunities for 90% of students from marginalized communities. Firstly, the conditions in residential hostels for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC, and minority communities are deplorable. Secondly, post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities are plagued by delays and failures.”

Advertisement

The Congress leader stated that during his recent visit to Ambedkar Hostel in poll-bound Bihar’s Darbhanga, “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.”

He further highlighted that the scholarship portal in Bihar was non-functional for three years, claiming that 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 LoP wrote.

The Congress leader claimed that while he cited the example of Bihar, these alleged failures were widespread across the country.

He urged the government to take immediate action to remedy these failures and called for the audit of every hostel for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC, and minority communities, and demanded the timely disbursement of the post-matric scholarships as well as an increase in scholarship amounts.