Patna: The Bihar government will establish dedicated hostels for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in every block of the state over the next five years, in what officials describe as one of the largest expansions of residential educational infrastructure for marginalised communities.
Announcing the plan at a press conference on Friday, Lakendra Kumar Raushan, the state’s minister for SC and ST welfare, said hostels would be built across all 534 blocks. At present, 139 hostels are operational, while 60 more have been approved, with construction already under way in several locations.
The minister said the department is also strengthening residential schooling. Bihar currently runs 91 residential schools offering free accommodation and quality education, whose students have secured admissions to competitive institutions through exams such as NEET and JEE. An additional 28 schools have been sanctioned. Separately, the government plans to open 100-bed Savitribai Phule hostels in each district, with land already allocated in 18 districts.
Students staying in the hostels will receive 15 kg of food grains each month including rice and wheat free of cost. They will also get Rs 1,000 per month through direct benefit transfer under the chief minister’s hostel grant scheme. Facilities such as digital libraries and academic support services are being introduced to improve learning outcomes, officials said.
Beyond accommodation, the department highlighted broader welfare measures. More than 153,000 students have benefited this financial year from the chief minister’s merit scholarship scheme. Financial support under post matric scholarships has been increased to Rs 7,500 for ITI courses, Rs 15,000 for diploma and polytechnic programmes, and Rs 25,000 for professional and technical studies. Scholarships for classes one to 10 have also been doubled.
Under the Prevention of Atrocities Act, Rs 127.50 crore has been disbursed as assistance this year. The scheme provides government jobs to dependants of murder victims, with 107 appointments made so far, while 1,477 beneficiaries are receiving pensions. The Bihar Mahadalit Development Mission has deployed nearly 9,700 “vikas mitras” across panchayats and overseen the construction of more than 4,800 community buildings in SC-ST hamlets. In the Tharuhat region, 279 of 357 development projects have been completed, with the rest under way.
Sandeep Kumar R. Pudkalkatti, the department secretary, said the initiatives were designed to accelerate social and educational mobility among historically disadvantaged communities. Several senior officials were also present at the briefing.
