The social justice and empowerment department has proposed to establish hostel facilities for students of Economically Backward Class (EBC). In the initial phase, 16 such hostels have been planned across the state. A proposal for these have also been forwarded to concern departments.
“These hostels are proposed at various districts to provide affordable boarding and lodging to students from financially weak families,” social justice and empowerment minister, Arun Chaturvedi told DNA.
The department has already received land sanction for college level EBC hostel at Sanganer, Jaipur, land acquisition for hostels at other district is also in process. Each of these hostels is expected to have housing capacity for 50 students and will have facilities similar to those extended to hostels of reserved castes managed by Social Justice and Empowerment Department.
These hostels will especially be a support for poor students travelling from remote villages to cities for pursuing higher education.
Extending favours at educational level, the state government has been attempting to placate anguish of the forward castes over non implementation of assured EBC reservation. The establishment is in line with the budget announcements made by the chief minister Raje earlier this year for EBC students.
Rajasthan state Social Justice and Empowerment Department had initiated a survey of the economically backward families few months ago for proposing a suitable module to extend reservation benefits to poor sections of the non-reserved castes. The survey remains in process and meanwhile, the anguish of forward caste organisation has been rising.
Implementation of the ‘reservation’ though also faces several obstacles.
