Savita Shinda, 26, is a second-year B.Ed student. She stays with her parents in Dahanu, Palghar, 300 km from her college, Government College of Education. To attend classes, which start at 9 am, she has to wake up at 3 am, walk 2 km to reach Dahanu railway station, and travel four hours to reach Panvel station. To avoid this daily hussle, she applied for Deendayal Upadhyay Swayam Yojana in March 2020. Under this scheme, tribal students pursuing higher education who haven't received hostel accommodation get Rs 60,000 annually. The fund includes expenses for food and stationery. When the Covid-19 pandemic started, the tribal development department stopped the funding as colleges were closed. Now, it has been a month since colleges have reopened in Maharashtra, but the tribal development department has failed to disburse the money due to a technical issue. More than 3,000 tribal students, who are dependent on the fund for accommodation outside college hostels, are now apprehensive about being able to continue their education. "In 2020, we received 108 applications under the scheme. But the finance department refused to disburse the money as colleges were closed. Later, on repeated requests, they sent the money to the commissioner's office in February 2021," said an officer from the tribal development department. "But since then, the portal where the students apply for funding has been facing technical problems. we are trying to resolve it." Shinde, whose father is a farmer, cannot afford to stay in private hostels or pay rent for accommodation. With the assistance yet to come after repeated requests, she and three other students started protesting on the college premises on Wednesday. "It costs over Rs 6,000 per month to stay on rent. Either my parents will have to sell their land or I will have to leave my studies," said Shinde. Another student from the second year, Vandha Prakash Dudhar, 25, who had also applied for the fund last year, said, "My father is disabled. My mother works on farms to pay for my education. If the government does not give the accommodation fees, I will have to quit studies." On Wednesday night, the protesting students slept on the floor of the college hostel. On Thursday, they were given a notice to leave the hostel. The students' association representing tribal communities plans to spread the protest if the state doesn't heed the demand. "Neither is the government giving them the money nor allowing them to stay at the hostel. The situation is the same across the state. Since last year, they have been promising to release the funds but not doing so," said Budhbhushan Kamble, president of Ambedkar Student Association. On Thursday, the state assured that the technical issues would be resolved within seven days. Until then, the four students will be allowed to stay at the hostel. Avinash Chavan, Deputy Commissioner, Commissionerate of Tribal Development, said, "We are working on resolving the issue. we aren't denying them the fund."
