Maratha students to get OBC-equivalent education concessions in Maharashtra

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has issued an order making the Maratha community students eligible for educational concessions and benefits similar to those available to the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.

As per a government resolution (GR) issued on Friday, all departments concerned have been directed to make adequate budgetary provisions for these schemes and benefits, aimed at improving access to education and skills, in the current and future financial years.

The move comes days after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange ended his hunger strike following talks with a government delegation, which submitted a 12-point proposal to him. According to the GR, the state's post-matric scholarship scheme applicable to OBC students shall also apply to Maratha students.

Similarly, the Motor Vehicle Driver and Conductor Training Scheme will be available to OBC candidates and shall be implemented for Maratha candidates through the government's SARTHI portal. Scholarship schemes available to OBC students in primary, secondary, and higher secondary education shall also be extended to Maratha students.

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Vocational training fee reimbursement benefits available to OBC candidates in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and private vocational institutions shall also be provided to Maratha students, it said. Schemes covering reimbursement of 16 additional educational expenditure items available to OBC students studying in aided and unaided colleges shall also be extended to Maratha students, according to the GR.

Maratha benefits: New education concessions

Benefits available to OBC students from Maharashtra who pursue aided or unaided professional courses in other states shall also apply to Maratha students. Students from the Maratha community shall be eligible for educational concessions and facilities for all courses for which OBC students are eligible.

Maratha students admitted to vacant seats after completion of the Centralised Admission Process, similar to OBC students, shall also be eligible for educational concessions, said the government. Any educational concession or facility currently available, or may be made available in the future, to the OBC category shall automatically apply to the Maratha community until further orders, it said. These provisions shall be effective from the 2026-27 academic year, the GR said.

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The government has directed the implementing departments to ask the IT department to make the necessary technical modifications to the MahaDBT portal for online applications from eligible Maratha beneficiaries. The implementation of these schemes will be periodically reviewed by the cabinet sub-committee constituted to examine the social, educational, and economic status of the Maratha community and related recommendations, the GR said.

In an interview with PTI on Friday, Jarange said the government had approved various demands put forth by him during his recent agitation. He also claimed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had given approval to set up a separate ministry for the Maratha community.