The Adishakthi Summer School, a collective of Adivasi and Dalit youths under the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha, will stage a satyagraha in front of the Secretariat on Saturday seeking an end to caste discrimination against them.
The study grant given to Adivasi-Dalit students for higher education was inadequate, the forum said. The grant was rarely sanctioned in time, the summer school said in a statement here on Friday. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students living in government college hostels got ₹3,500 a month, Scheduled Tribe students living in private hostels got ₹3,000, and Scheduled Caste students got ₹1,500.
The grant for the past academic year was yet to be given. Those living in government hostels also got ₹200 as pocket money. The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe development departments had sought that the grant be increased to ₹6,500-7,000 as food and other expenses were more in urban areas, but the Finance department had not agreed, it said.
The satyagraha was being held to seek timely increase in the grant, and press other demands such as monthly payment of the allocated amount, end to discrimination against research students, removal of income limit of ₹2 lakh for providing e-grant, bring all recognised courses under e-grant limit, direct payment of financial assistance for purchase of laptops, and so on.
A petition will be submitted to the Finance Minister the same day.
