Improve Hostels, Fix Scholarships: Rahul Gandhi’s Letter to PM Modi Demands Urgent Action for Marginalised Students

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has written a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising serious concerns over the deteriorating conditions in student hostels and the delayed disbursement of scholarships meant for Dalit, OBC, EBC, ST, and minority students across the country.

Describing the state of hostels for marginalised students as “inhuman and shameful,” Gandhi said, “During my visit to the Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, I was shocked to see 6 to 7 students crammed into a single room, broken toilets, no clean drinking water, no mess, and zero access to libraries or internet. This is not how we treat the future of India.”

In his letter dated June 10, Gandhi also slammed the central and state administrations for mismanaging post-matric scholarships. He cited that Bihar’s official scholarship portal remained defunct for three consecutive years, resulting in zero disbursements in 2021-22. “Even in subsequent years, numbers fell drastically—from 1.36 lakh Dalit students receiving aid in FY23 to just 0.69 lakh in FY24. The amounts provided are not just delayed but disgracefully inadequate,” the Congress leader wrote.

Calling it a national failure, Gandhi added, “This is not an isolated case in Bihar. Students across the country are suffering due to administrative apathy and budgetary neglect. Education is a right, not a privilege.”

He proposed two urgent actions for the government:

1. A nationwide audit of all hostels meant for marginalised students to improve living standards, infrastructure, hygiene, nutrition, and access to academic resources.
2. Timely and enhanced scholarship disbursement, with coordination between Centre and state governments to ensure smooth execution and increased financial support.

“The youth from these communities represent over 90% of the students in need. If we fail them, we fail the country,” Gandhi concluded in his appeal to the Prime Minister.