ST students with no hostel beds may get cash incentive from government

MUMBAI: Ahead of civic elections, students belonging to Schedule Tribes (ST) have got a major incentive from the state government.

MUMBAI: Ahead of civic elections, students belonging to Schedule Tribes (ST) have got a major incentive from the state government.

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Those students, who did not get accommodation at government-run hostels, will be paid so that they can look for an alternative place to stay .

The proposal to pay them is expected to come up in the cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Students, who get admission at government run educational institutions, have the option to chose for accommodation at such hostels. The government-run hostels has failed to accommodate the deserving students, who have been facing hardship.

The state tribal affairs department has decided on a scheme that will ease their problems. The new scheme will make ST students eligible for monetary assistance, in case the government hostels are full and no alternative accommodation can be provided to them.

The amount will be given to the students in cash and paid in advance, revealed the sources.

There are around 5,000 government hostels, with an intake capacity of 58,000, under state tribal affair department.

The department wants to increase this capacity up to 78,000. The new scheme will cover 20,000 more students. “We don’t have the capacity to accommodate all the students in the hostels. Every year, we had to face criticism for failing to help students,” sources said.