Mumbai, June 5 (IANS) Days after pro-Maratha reservation activists Manoj Jarange-Patil withdrew his fast, the Maharashtra government on Friday issued a government resolution (GR) to extend all educational concessions and welfare schemes to students from the Maratha community, on par with those available to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
As per the GR, Maratha students will now be eligible for all educational concessions and facilities across all eligible courses.
The benefits of these schemes will be implemented immediately, starting from the current academic year 2026–2027.
The GR has been issued to implement the educational schemes and concessions across several key departments, including School Education and Sports, Higher and Technical Education, Medical Education, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, and Fisheries and Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Development.
The government’s move comes when Jarange-Patil has consistently demanded that Maratha students should receive educational concessions and schemes equivalent to OBC students, previously alleging that the implementation had been ineffective.
The issue was thoroughly discussed in a recent meeting of the Maratha Reservation Sub committee, where roadblocks to implementing these benefits were identified.
The sub committee noted that the rollout required independent budget allocation, essential technical modifications to the MahaDBT portal, and direct instructions to all concerned departments.
Consequently, the General Administration Department (GAD) issued the formal orders today to streamline the process, the GR said.
According to GR, Maratha students will now have access to a wide array of benefits. They will get extension of the scholarship scheme available to post-matric students, the scholarship schemes to be applicable to primary, secondary, and higher secondary students and reimbursement covering 16 different academic components to be available to OBC students studying in aided and unaided colleges.
The Motor Vehicle Driver and Conductor Training Scheme is implemented through the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development (SARATHI) institute, the GR noted.
The Vocational Training Fee Reimbursement Scheme for candidates will be applicable to those enrolled in private Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and under PPP (Public-Private Partnership) seats in government ITIs.
“Coverage under the scheme will be applicable to state residents pursuing aided and unaided professional courses in other states. Educational concessions will also be extended to Maratha students who secure admission against vacant seats at the institutional level, approved by the Admissions Regulating Authority, after the completion of the Centralised Admission Process (CAP),” the GR said.
–IANS
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