Ten more hostels for OBC students likely to come up in state – Times of India

Bhubaneswar: Students of other backward classes (OBC) will get special hostels at government degree colleges in the state. On Wednesday, the higher education department urged the STSC development, minorities and backward classes welfare department to set up hostels in 10 government degree colleges in the state under the PM Yashasvi scheme.
The Centre has a PM Yashasvi scheme to provide scholarships, better education and construct hostels for OBC boys and girls. Both the Centre and state give funds for the constriction of hostels. Funding pattern of the Centre and state is 60:40 for boys’ hostels, while it is 90:10 for girls’ hostel construction.
The higher education department has given a list of 10 government degree colleges to the SCST development for construction of hostels for OBC students. These were- Kuntala Kumari Sabat women’s degree college Balasore, Panchayat degree college Bargarh, Government women’s college Dhenkanal, NSCB degree college Sambalpur, SCS autonomous college Puri, Niranjan government degree women’s college Aska, DD autonomous college Keonjhar, Rajdhani degree college Bhubaneswar, VD autonomous college Jeypore and Government autonomous college Rourkela.
The 10 hostels will have a total of 1750 seats. While three hostels with 500 seats will be reserved for boys only, the remaining will be constructed for girls.
Sitanshu Kumar Rout, director of OBC under STSC development department, said Odisha had 11 OBC hostels constructed by both the Centre and state. Later the state government had decided to construct 100 more hostels (5000 seats each for girls and boys) for OBC students from its own exchequer. “We have completed construction work of 66 hostels so far,” he added.
We have sent proposals to the Centre for construction of hostels for OBC students. “After getting approval, we can start work,” he added.
The higher education department has also written letters on Wednesday to principal of government degree colleges and teacher education institutions in the state to submit proposals for the requirement of extra hostel facilities for OBC boys and girls with requisite documents. After the principals submit their proposals, it will be forwarded to SCST development, minorities and backward classes welfare department.