New Delhi: Non-Governmental Organisations
(NGOs) will now be eligible to receive government assistance
under the Centrally-sponsored scheme of Construction of Hostel
for SC & OBC Boys and Girls which was revised today.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired
by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved revision of the
existing scheme under which the funding pattern between the
Centre and the northeastern states has been changed from 50-50
to 90-10 for the remaining period of 11th Plan.
Existing cost sharing pattern with States is 50:50 and
this will continue for all states other than the north-eastern
states.
The NGOs, which were not involved in the scheme, will now
get assistance under the scheme.
A one-time non-recurring grant of Rs 2500 per student
will be provided for essential furniture and equipment.
The government also revised the norms for minimum
physical infrastructure provided to OBC students, a release
said. This was done as there have been wide variations in the
per unit cost of the hostels received from the state
governments under the existing scheme, the release said.
A need was felt to bring about some uniformity in the
minimum physical infrastructure provided to OBC students.
The revised minimum physical and financial norms for a
100 seated hostel say that the total built up area of a hostel
will be 1215 sq mtrs.
The total cost of a hostel, including the cost of
construction and other essential/recreational facilities will
be approximately Rs 1.37 crore, which will be shared between
the Centre and state.
This Centrally sponsored scheme is being implemented
since 1998-99 to address the problem of educational
backwardness of OBCs.
Many a time, rural students especially those belonging
to weaker sections have to give up pursuit of education
because their villages do not have secondary schools and
colleges and adequate hostel facilities are not available for
them at reasonable cost.
Therefore, the scheme provides assistance to state
governments for construction of hostels up to 100 seats
capacity for OBC boys and girls in school and colleges.
At least 1/3rd of the hostels are meant to be
constructed exclusively for girls, while five per cent of the
total seats are reserved for disabled students.
However, students belonging to the creamy layer,
(income limit of which is currently Rs 4.50 lakh per annum)
are not eligible for admission to these hostels.
Central assistance to states is provided on a 50:50
basis, while 100 per cent assistance is provided to Union
Territories and Central government institutions.
The allocation of funds under the scheme for the
remaining two years of 11th Plan is Rs 209 crore. It is
proposed to sanction about 30,000 number of seats under the
revised scheme during the period 2010-2012.
PTI
First Published: Friday, December 11, 2009, 00:29