Leader of Opposition in Parliament Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting to resolve critical issues hindering education opportunities for the 90 per cent of students who are from marginalized communities.
He said that the conditions in residential hostels for students from Dahl, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities are deplorable.
The letter comes in the backdrop of Gandhi’s recent visit to Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar where 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.
“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,” he further stated in the letter.
Gandhi urged the government to immediately take two actions on the matter.
He called for an audit in 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,” Gandhi stated in the letter.
The 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies is slated to take place in October or November 2025. It will be held by the Election Commission of India.
