Stipend hike for SC/ST students
SUDEEP KUMAR GURU
Balangir, March 15: Acting upon a Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
filed by the general secretary of Paschim Odisha Adivasi Mahasangh,
Orissa High Court recently ordered the state government to pay
enhanced stipend to students belonging to scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe communities. The order took into account price
escalation and stipend paid to students of other categories.
A division bench comprising chief justice V Gopala Gowda and justice
B.N. Mahapatra asked the commissioner-cum-secretary of the SC and ST
welfare department to implement the court order from the current
academic year.
The Paschim Odisha Adivasi Mahasangh had expressed concerns over the
fact that students belonging to other backward classes (OBC) and
socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC) of BPL families
were getting a much higher stipend than those of the SC/ST students.
General secretary of the Paschim Odisha Adivasi Mahasangh, Niranjan
Bishi, who had filed the PIL, informed that students belonging to
OBC/SEBC category were entitled to a stipend of Rs 750 per annum while
there was no such provision for tribal and dalit students of BPL
families.
"Similarly OBC/SEBC students from Class VI to VIII receive a stipend
of Rs 900 and those of Classes IX and X get Rs 1,000 per annum. On the
contrary, SC/ST students get a paltry Rs 150 for Classes VI to VIII
and Rs 200 for Classes IX and X. This is sheer injustice," Bishi said.
The tribal leader further said the Mahasangh had urged the government
to increase the stipend of SC/ST students studying in residential
schools of the welfare department to Rs 530. "We had also urged the
government to fix stipend of SC/ST students at Rs 1,500 for Class I to
Class V, Rs 1,800 for Class VI to Class VIII and Rs 2,000 for Class IX
and Class X.
"Our demand is genuine as poor students in Navodaya Vidyalaya get Rs
2,500, while those in central schools are paid Rs 3,500. I filed the
PIL to draw the attention of the high court to all these
discrepancies," Bishi said. After hearing the counsels, the judges
asked the state government to dispose the representation of the
petitioner keeping in view the provision under Articles 15(3) and 41
of the Constitution.
"Taking into account price escalation and the stipend amount which is
being paid to students of other category, the opposite parties should
dispose the case as soon as possible," the bench said.
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