Maharashtra extends educational subsidies for poor across castes

Also announces financial assistance to children of small farmers & tribals

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In the wake of the Maratha community's agitation for reservations in education and jobs, the government of Maharashtra announced some decisions on Thursday regarding educational benefits. The state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, raised to Rs 6 lakh the upper income limit for defining an Economically Backward Class and announced extension of monetary benefits under this category to students from all castes.

Earlier, scheduled castes and tribes were eligible for 100 per cent fee reimbursement and Other Backward Class students for 50 per cent. Students from the EBC category in all professional courses will be eligible for benefits under the Rajshri Shahu Maharaj Fee Reimbursement Scheme, named after the Maratha king who introduced a reservation policy for the first time, in his kingdom of Kolhapur. Fadnavis, however, clarified that for students with income limit below Rs 2.5 lakh, no merit criteria will apply but for those between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, students scoring above 60 per cent only would be eligible.

The announcement comes ahead of a protest march slated for Saturday in Kolhapur and on Sunday in Thane.

This was one of the demands made by the Marathi Kranti Morcha, organising protest marches after the rape and murder of a Maratha girl in July from Koradi village in Ahmednagar district. The community in general is pressing for a 16 per cent quota in jobs and education and amendments to the law on atrocities against dalits, to stop its alleged misuse. Fruther, the government announced two schemes targeting children of smallholder farmers and tribal students. Under the Panjabrao Deshmukh Scheme, financial assistance will be given to children of farmers with a holding up to 2.5 hectares of unirrigated land or two ha for irrigated land, to pay housing rents. The upper limit for metros will be Rs 30,000 a year and for smaller cities, it will be Rs 20,000 a year.

Under the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Swayam Scheme, the government will pay in the range of Rs 6,000, 5,000 or 4,000 (depending on the category of city a tribal student is studying in) a month for expenditure on hostels and meals.