Mumbai: A day after police detained tribal students who had marched from Nashik to press for better hostel facilities and an inquiry into deaths at ashram schools and drove them out of the city, the state cabinet on Tuesday approved revision of allowances under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Swayam Scheme, which is implemented for Scheduled Tribe students.For students pursuing education in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Nagpur, allowance is now Rs 80,000, up from Rs 60,000 before. The food allowance is ₹42,000, up from ₹32,000; accommodation allowance is ₹28,000, up from ₹20,000; and subsistence allowance is ₹10,000, up from ₹8,000. The state cabinet also increased annual grants under the ‘Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Swadhar Yojana’. This scheme is implemented to enable students belonging to Scheduled Castes and the Neo-Buddhist category to pursue higher education, specifically those who are eligible for govt hostels but could not secure admission to them. Under this scheme, students pursuing education in Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Nagpur will now receive a total annual grant of ₹80,000. This amount comprises ₹42,000 for the food allowance, ₹28,000 for the accommodation allowance, and ₹10,000 for the subsistence allowance.A decision was also taken to increase the honorarium of staff working in aided hostels for Scheduled Caste students—hostels run by voluntary organisations under the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department. The honorarium of superintendents, cooks, helpers, and watchmen working in the state’s 2,388 aided hostels will be increased.“As the number of Scheduled Tribe students enrolling in various courses increased, the available capacity in govt hostels became insufficient. Consequently, the ‘Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Swayam Scheme’ has been implemented since the 2016-17 academic year for Scheduled Tribe students pursuing higher education post-Class 12, who could not secure admission to government hostels. Under this scheme, a consolidated annual amount—covering food, accommodation, and a subsistence allowance at fixed rates—is deposited directly into the bank accounts of eligible Scheduled Tribe students via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT),” officials said. The tribal development department operates govt hostels at divisional, district, taluka, and rural levels to facilitate higher education for Scheduled Tribe students living away from their villages. Allowances have also been increased for students in other areas of the state.Under ‘Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Swadhar Yojana’, financial assistance is provided to students enrolled in various colleges and educational institutions for Classes 11 and 12, as well as for post-Class 12 vocational and non-vocational courses. This aid covers expenses related to food, accommodation, subsistence, and educational materials.On Monday, tribal students, who had been taking shelter at the Congress party’s headquarters, Tilak Bhavan in Dadar, since Monday after being denied permission to assemble at Azad Maidan, sought to meet Governor Jishnu Dev Varma to submit a memorandum. They began their march from Nashik on Sept 28, pressing for various demands, including better facilities, a probe into student deaths in tribal schools, and the resignation of the tribal development minister.According to the Congress, tribal students have been protesting for over 10 days, seeking redressal of their various demands regarding scholarships and lack of basic amenities in ashram schools and hostels, among other issues.Meanwhile, most of the tribal students were sent back to Nashik and out of Mumbai in vehicles arranged with the help of police on Tuesday. It is stated that many students willingly decided to leave the city after on Monday night state govt gave them an assurance to resolve their demand in the coming months, whereas some of them were forcibly taken into vehicles by the police.The Adivasi students reached Mumbai on Sunday night; since they had no place to live, Congress arranged their accommodation at the party office in Dadar and provided food. They also provided medical assistance to some of the students who faced health complications due to the long walk from Nashik to Mumbai without proper food arrangements.
