Maharashtra’s Tribal Development Department has appointed a four-member committee to compare student welfare schemes run by the Tribal Development and Social Justice departments and recommend greater uniformity in grants and facilities, according to a government decision reported on September 10.
The committee will examine the financial assistance, amenities and other facilities provided to students through schemes administered by the two departments. The exercise is intended to identify differences and bring greater consistency to the benefits available to students under the respective programmes.
The decision follows a meeting held on August 29 between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and representatives of students from government tribal hostels. During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed the departments to undertake a comparative study of the facilities provided to students and to constitute a committee for the purpose.
The committee has been instructed to submit its report within three months. Further action will be taken after the government considers the committee’s findings, according to the report.
The government decision does not specify in the available information which individual schemes, grant amounts or hostel facilities will be revised. It also does not identify the members of the four-person committee. The immediate process will therefore focus on comparing the existing provisions of the Tribal Development and Social Justice departments before any changes are announced.
The committee’s report is the next stated milestone in the process. Its recommendations will determine whether the two departments’ student welfare provisions are modified or aligned.
