State to build caste-blind hostels to promote social unity

State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has asked the state administration to scout for land parcels to build these hostels, which would accommodate 1,000 students each at the divisional level and 500 students each at the district level

MUMBAI: To discourage cast-based politics and mend rifts among the youth of communities competing for reservation and welfare benefits, the state government says it will build “integrated” hostels for students from the SC, ST, OBC, Maratha and other backward communities.

State to build caste-blind hostels to promote social unity

State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has asked the state administration to scout for land parcels to build these hostels, which would accommodate 1,000 students each at the divisional level and 500 students each at the district level.

Until now, the government has been running separate hostels for students of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, according to the administrative department by which they are governed. Matters took a turn in 2017, when the Maratha community started widespread protests under the Sakal Maratha Samaj banner, demanding reservation benefits for Maratha youth.

In response, then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a ₹5-crore grant to build hostels for Maratha students in every district. When the Maratha reservation issue gathered momentum, the OBC community opposed the inclusion of the Maratha community in the OBC category. They also demanded separate student hostels like the ones set aside for Maratha students. As a result, in September 2022, the state government decided to build 72 government hostels for OBC students, one for boys and one for girls, in each of the 36 districts in the state.

Now, the state hopes to address this by building hostels blind to caste. “The initiative will not only provide students with quality accommodation and infrastructure but also strengthen the social fabric, mutual interaction and a sense of equality among young people,” Bawankule told officials at the meeting.

He underlined that the land parcels must aim to meet students’ needs rather than merely make government property available for these institutions. Accordingly, they should be located in areas that offer easy access to educational institutions, transport connectivity, healthcare facilities, markets and other amenities, the minister said.

The meeting also reviewed the availability of land for hostels proposed by the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research and Training Institute (MahaJyoti) and district collectors were directed to submit proposals to the state government.