In a powerful and urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has voiced deep concern over the “deplorable” living conditions of student hostels and persistent delays in post-matric scholarship disbursals. Through a letter dated June 10, 2025, Gandhi seeks swift government intervention to improve the educational environment for students from marginalised communities, including Dalits, Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Backward Classes (EBC) and minorities.

Gandhi's Visit to Darbhanga: A Wake-Up Call

The Congress leader’s concerns stem from his recent visit to the Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, where he witnessed what he described as shockingly poor living conditions. He documented how:

• 6–7 students were forced to live in a single cramped room

• Toilets were unhygienic, and clean drinking water was unavailable

• No functional mess facilities were available to serve food

• Students lacked internet access, libraries, and basic academic support

Rahul Gandhi stated that these conditions were not isolated to Darbhanga or Bihar but were prevalent across the country, forming a pattern of systemic neglect.

The Scholarship Crisis: A Broken System

In addition to hostel conditions, Gandhi raised alarms over the failure of the post-matric scholarship system, which is meant to provide crucial financial support to students from backward communities. He pointed to:

• The scholarship portal in Bihar was non-functional for three years, leading to zero disbursal in FY 2021–22

• Post-portal restoration, the number of Dalit students receiving scholarships dropped from 1.36 lakh in FY23 to just 0.69 lakh in FY24

• The amounts disbursed were termed “insultingly low”, undermining the purpose of the scheme

According to Gandhi, these failures are not administrative glitches but deep-rooted governance issues that threaten the academic futures of millions of underprivileged students.

Key Demands: Audits, Coordination, and Urgency

Rahul Gandhi’s letter is not just a critique but includes specific, actionable proposals aimed at systemic reform. He has:

• Called for a nationwide audit of hostels for students from marginalised communities, ensuring adequate infrastructure, sanitation, nutrition, and access to study resources

• Urged for timely, transparent, and increased disbursal of post-matric scholarships

• Emphasised better coordination between Central and State governments to resolve execution bottlenecks in welfare schemes

He wrote, “India cannot progress unless youth from marginalised communities progress.”

The Broader Implication: A Nation's Education in Jeopardy

Rahul Gandhi’s appeal highlights the larger issue of systemic educational inequality in India. The hostel infrastructure for SC, ST, OBC, EBC, and minority students often receives little attention despite being the only means of support for millions of aspiring youth. Hostels serve not only as residences but also as critical enablers of education access, especially for those coming from remote villages and low-income families.

The collapse or negligence of such facilities has ripple effects — leading to dropouts, poor mental health, academic underperformance, and loss of future opportunities. Gandhi’s observations point to decades of underfunding and mismanagement, particularly in Bihar, which is one of India’s most economically challenged states.

Post-Matric Scholarships: A Lifeline Undermined

The post-matric scholarship scheme is a central government initiative aimed at providing financial aid to students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs pursuing education beyond Class 10. However, the implementation has been marred by delays, data mismatches, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and in some states, complete system shutdowns.

Gandhi’s mention of Bihar’s non-functional portal for three years is emblematic of policy failure at both the Centre and State levels. Even after the portal was restored, the steep drop in beneficiaries and the paltry amount disbursed reveal a complete breakdown of intent versus execution.

Centre-State Coordination: The Missing Link

Another major theme in Gandhi’s letter is the lack of coordination between Centre and State governments, which often leads to blame games, funding lapses, and project implementation paralysis. Welfare schemes like the post-matric scholarship require dual funding and seamless cooperation — but in reality, students suffer due to policy confusion and political apathy.

Rahul Gandhi stressed the need for robust mechanisms to bridge these gaps, including regular monitoring, transparent reporting, and a time-bound action plan for disbursal and hostel upgrades.

Gandhi’s Political Message: Equity as a National Priority

This intervention also reinforces Rahul Gandhi’s broader political message — that inclusive development must go beyond slogans and be backed by tangible, measurable actions. It fits into the Congress party's long-standing narrative of social justice, empowerment of backward classes, and educational access for all.

By directly addressing Prime Minister Modi, Gandhi is placing the accountability squarely on the central government, making it a national issue rather than a state-specific problem.

Reactions and Implications

While the Prime Minister’s Office has not yet issued a formal response, Rahul Gandhi’s letter is already being widely discussed across media platforms and civil society groups. Student unions, Dalit organisations, and education activists have welcomed the call for audits and timely scholarships, and are urging the government to respond with urgency.

If the government acts on this appeal, it could lead to:

• Policy overhaul in student welfare programs

• Improved living conditions in hostels across India

• Greater transparency in scholarship distribution

• Political mileage for the Congress party among youth and marginalised communities

Conclusion: A Call for Action, Not Just Attention

Rahul Gandhi’s letter to Prime Minister Modi brings to the forefront two of the most neglected areas of student welfare — dilapidated hostels and delayed scholarships. These are not just infrastructural or bureaucratic issues, but moral indicators of how India treats its most vulnerable students.

His demands — a nationwide audit, timely disbursals, improved infrastructure, and centre-state coordination — are reasonable, necessary, and urgent.

With lakhs of students depending on these basic amenities to pursue their education, this issue must be elevated beyond political rivalry and tackled as a national priority. For India to truly rise as a knowledge-based economy, every student, regardless of caste, class, or background, must be empowered with dignity and opportunity.

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