Union Budget 2022: OBC students' 10 demands from Modi government for the marginalised

NEW DELHI: The All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA) has written a letter to the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on their demands related to the Union Budget 2022-23. The OBC students’ group has put forward 10-point demands pertaining to marginalized and poor students, emphasizing the country's socially and educationally backward classes.

This year, the Budget session of Parliament will commence on January 31 President Ram Nath Kovind addressing both the houses and conclude on April 8. The Union Budget for 2022-23 will be presented on February 1 and the Economic Survey will be tabled on January 31 after the president's address, as per a report.

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Budget 2022: 10-point demands of OBC students association

The AIOBCSA has forwarded the budget expectation letter to the prime minister’s office, the ministry of education, the minister of social justice and empowerment, and to all the Members of Parliament. Here are the 10-point demands of the OBC students group.

• Due to Covid-19 pandemic, many marginalized and poor students face problems with lack of proper digital devices and issues with internet connectivity. The Union Government shall introduce a special Digital Device Drive, provide digital devices like laptops and tablets for students, and offer special free internet schemes for marginalized and poor students.

• Increase the budgetary allocation for the National Fellowship for OBCs (NFOBC) and increase the number of fellowships from 1000 to 10,000 slots to meet OBC students' demand.

• Introduce Post Doctoral Fellowship for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

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• As the students of marginalized and poor are facing problems with proper accommodation for their education, there is a need for the construction of Social Welfare Hostels for Post-Metric, Graduation, and Post Graduation students in each Parliamentary constituency and more hostels in the capital city of the respective States for the welfare of OBC, SC, ST, and Economically poor students.

• Special OBC grant, that was similar to the grant given in 2007 to all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for increasing the OBC faculty positions at Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor level to 27% of total allocated cadre strength in HEIs and for assisting the increased strength of OBC students in the HEIs.

• Establish Savitriabi Phule Women Degree and PG Colleges in all Parliamentary constituencies and Savitribai Phule Women University in all states to provide quality education to empower marginalized and poor girl students.

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• The Center shall fully assist in the construction of boys and girls hostels in all Centrally Funded Higher Educational Institutions (CFHEIs) as the OBC students are not getting hostel accommodation in universities like Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University, etc.,

• Special assistance to Universities to establish research centers for the study on the empowerment of SEBCs.

• Increase the number of Prime Minister Research Fellowships (PMRF) slots and introduce reservation policy in PMRF.

• Special financial assistance for the OBCs, SCs, and STs youth to take up the entrepreneurial activities and innovative startups at the grassroots level.

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