http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=624693
SC seeks Govt response on condition of hostels for dalits NEW DELHI, OCT 24 (PTI) The Supreme Court today sought a response from the Centre, state governments and UTs on a plea alleging that they have failed to provide basic facilities in hostels meant for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes students despite huge allocation of funds. The PIL filed by Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarti Parishad (ABVP), students wing of BJP, alleged that hostels constructed and run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Ministry of Tribal Affairs to facilitate education of SCs and STs lack facilities like toilets, water and power supply. A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan agreed to hear the petition after advocate Bhupender Yadav said a detailed research done by the ABVP found that despite huge allocation of grants under various schemes such hostels, for both girls and boys, are in a bad state. The ABVP said some of these hostels are being utilised for other purposes. A girls' hostel in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh was being used as a Beggars' Home and a hostel constructed at the cost of Rs 31.26 lakh having capacity of 140 students at Malda in West Bengal was being used for accommodation of police personnel. The survey disclosed that at one such hostel in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, there were just two toilets to cater to 100, the PIL said. Under the scheme, 50 per cent central assistance is given for construction of hostels and remaining 50 per cent is born by the concerned state government. In the case of Central government institutions 100 per cent assistance is given by the central government. The survey was carried out at 985 such hostels of 208 districts of 14 states.
