The Crossbill News Desk
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday (August 25) withdrew the upper age limit for admission to tribal hostels and put its August 14 Government Resolution on revised hostel rules and facilities on hold, following a 13-day student agitation in Pune.
The decision marked the second major rollback by the Tribal Development Department in less than three weeks after students launched protests against new restrictions governing admission and activities in government-run tribal hostels.
The issue had also drawn the intervention of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who raised the matter with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, The Indian Express reported.
Announcing the latest decision, Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike said, “We have decided not to impose any age restriction after detailed deliberation on this issue.”
The students’ protest has focused on several concerns, including hostel admission rules, inadequate facilities and allowances, and allegations that women students returning after extended periods of leave were made to undergo pregnancy tests.
The Tribal Development Department has 494 sanctioned hostels for Scheduled Tribe students pursuing secondary, higher secondary and college education. Of these, 490 are operational and accommodate around 58,000 to 60,000 students.
The immediate controversy began with a Government Resolution issued on August 5, which consolidated the rules governing tribal hostels across Maharashtra. The resolution prohibited students residing in government hostels from participating in hunger strikes, protest marches and similar forms of agitation.
It also introduced an upper age limit of 26 years for hostel admission. Students pursuing courses eligible for Government of India scholarships could seek admission only if they met the prescribed age criteria.
The new rules triggered protests from tribal students, who argued that the age restriction would deny accommodation to many pursuing higher education after a break or at a later stage in life.
Students also raised concerns about the level of allowances and facilities available in hostels. Among the most serious allegations was that some women students returning after prolonged leave were asked to undergo pregnancy tests and other medical examinations.
Rahul Gandhi raised the issue in a letter to Fadnavis, saying he was disturbed by the allegations.
“I was shocked to learn that female students returning after an extended absence must undergo pregnancy tests and a range of other medical tests, to prove their “fitness”,” Gandhi wrote according to The Indian Express.
As the agitation spread, the government first withdrew the restrictions on student protests and raised the maximum age for hostel admission from 26 to 30 years. However, the revised age limit failed to satisfy the protesting students, who continued their agitation and demanded that the restriction be removed altogether.
The government had referred to the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Swayam Yojana, under which students unable to secure hostel accommodation can receive financial assistance. That scheme, too, had an upper age limit of 30 years.
The latest decision now removes the age restriction entirely, while the August 14 GR on revised hostel rules and facilities has also been put on hold.
However, the rollback does not address all the demands raised by the students. They have sought an increase in allowances in accordance with the Consumer Price Index, insurance cover for every student and a separate law to regulate government tribal hostels.
The students have also demanded modernisation of the hostels along the lines of Eklavya Model Residential Schools, or EMRS, and the establishment of a separate hostel for tribal students in Delhi.
An earlier meeting between the protesters and Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike failed to bring the agitation to an end. The students have now sought a meeting with Chief Minister Fadnavis.
The protests have also unfolded against growing concerns over conditions and safety at tribal residential institutions. A few days ago, three tribal girl students died after being bitten by a snake at a government-aided residential school in Gadchiroli district. The children were reportedly sleeping on mats on the floor when the incident took place.
The deaths have further sharpened questions over the state of residential facilities for tribal students. While the Maharashtra government has now yielded to the protesters’ key demand for the removal of the age limit, the agitation has brought wider concerns over hostel infrastructure, student welfare and safety to the centre of the debate.
The decision marked the second major rollback by the Tribal Development Department in less than three weeks after students launched protests against new restrictions governing admission and activities in government-run tribal hostels.
The issue had also drawn the intervention of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who raised the matter with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, The Indian Express reported.
Announcing the latest decision, Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike said, “We have decided not to impose any age restriction after detailed deliberation on this issue.”
The students’ protest has focused on several concerns, including hostel admission rules, inadequate facilities and allowances, and allegations that women students returning after extended periods of leave were made to undergo pregnancy tests.
The Tribal Development Department has 494 sanctioned hostels for Scheduled Tribe students pursuing secondary, higher secondary and college education. Of these, 490 are operational and accommodate around 58,000 to 60,000 students.
The immediate controversy began with a Government Resolution issued on August 5, which consolidated the rules governing tribal hostels across Maharashtra. The resolution prohibited students residing in government hostels from participating in hunger strikes, protest marches and similar forms of agitation.
It also introduced an upper age limit of 26 years for hostel admission. Students pursuing courses eligible for Government of India scholarships could seek admission only if they met the prescribed age criteria.
The new rules triggered protests from tribal students, who argued that the age restriction would deny accommodation to many pursuing higher education after a break or at a later stage in life.
Students also raised concerns about the level of allowances and facilities available in hostels. Among the most serious allegations was that some women students returning after prolonged leave were asked to undergo pregnancy tests and other medical examinations.
Rahul Gandhi raised the issue in a letter to Fadnavis, saying he was disturbed by the allegations.
“I was shocked to learn that female students returning after an extended absence must undergo pregnancy tests and a range of other medical tests, to prove their “fitness”,” Gandhi wrote according to The Indian Express.
As the agitation spread, the government first withdrew the restrictions on student protests and raised the maximum age for hostel admission from 26 to 30 years. However, the revised age limit failed to satisfy the protesting students, who continued their agitation and demanded that the restriction be removed altogether.
The government had referred to the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Swayam Yojana, under which students unable to secure hostel accommodation can receive financial assistance. That scheme, too, had an upper age limit of 30 years.
The latest decision now removes the age restriction entirely, while the August 14 GR on revised hostel rules and facilities has also been put on hold.
However, the rollback does not address all the demands raised by the students. They have sought an increase in allowances in accordance with the Consumer Price Index, insurance cover for every student and a separate law to regulate government tribal hostels.
The students have also demanded modernisation of the hostels along the lines of Eklavya Model Residential Schools, or EMRS, and the establishment of a separate hostel for tribal students in Delhi.
An earlier meeting between the protesters and Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike failed to bring the agitation to an end. The students have now sought a meeting with Chief Minister Fadnavis.
The protests have also unfolded against growing concerns over conditions and safety at tribal residential institutions. A few days ago, three tribal girl students died after being bitten by a snake at a government-aided residential school in Gadchiroli district. The children were reportedly sleeping on mats on the floor when the incident took place.
The deaths have further sharpened questions over the state of residential facilities for tribal students. While the Maharashtra government has now yielded to the protesters’ key demand for the removal of the age limit, the agitation has brought wider concerns over hostel infrastructure, student welfare and safety to the centre of the debate.
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