“The minister has asked concerned officials to expedite the process and start making the hostel facilities available by December,” said an official from the department. “However, making arrangements by December may not be possible, but work will begin immediately.” The planning department has outlined the procedure for initiating the hostel scheme, which is set to commence from the academic year 2023-24, the official said.

Last week, the minister announced that students from economically weaker backgrounds from the Maratha and Kunbi community, who are pursuing professional and higher education, will receive an annual stipend of Rs 60,000. This will be implemented as per the criteria set by the Social Welfare department for students from the SC/ST and OBC categories. The existing stipend for these students stands at Rs 30,000.

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To implement separate hostels for the Maratha-Kunbi students, a private institution registered at the Collectorate level is to be selected. It will be required to hire the staff necessary for hostel operations. Clear instructions have been issued, emphasising that the government will not be liable for this staff in any form—a stipulation to be explicitly mentioned in the contract with the relevant organization. The working regulations specify that the institution may admit students from communities other than Maratha-Kunbi in the hostels.

The State Social Welfare and Justice department already runs over 250 hostels for meritorious students from the SC/ST category. However, there were no dedicated hostels for the Maratha community.

In 2018, a resolution was passed to initiate district-level hostels through Sarathi, specifically for students from the Maratha community. Initially, the approval included the option to lease vacant government buildings, local self-government bodies, and boards for this. However, owing to lack of response, the government has now authorized private organisations to directly establish hostels in either their own buildings or rented premises. Procedural guidelines have been officially communicated.