Mumbai/Jalna, Sep 7 (IANS) As Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna on Monday entered its tenth consecutive day, the Maharashtra Government issued four key Government Resolutions (GRs) and official directives providing major educational, financial, and employment benefits to the Maratha, Kunbi, and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) categories.
The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) issued immediate instructions to all divisional offices and universities across the state. Starting from the 2026–27 academic year, students from the Maratha community will receive all educational concessions and benefits on par with the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
The Higher and Technical Education Department sanctioned and released Rs 200 crore to address pending hostel maintenance allowances for students under the Economically Backward Class (EBC), Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and SEBC categories. The funds were approved and allocated via supplementary demands during the Monsoon Session of the Assembly.
The Planning Department has revised the foreign scholarship framework operated by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI) to align with the Social Justice Department’s policy.
Under the updated norms, tuition fees will now be directly remitted to foreign universities, effectively removing upper caps on benefit amounts. Students will receive an additional annual living/contingency allowance of $1,500 (£1,100 GBP for UK students). Selection will now follow a revised merit process based on QS World University Rankings.
SARTHI, Pune has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Institute of Driving Training and Research Services (IDTRS) Pimpri-Chinchwad to launch specialised Light Motor Vehicle (LMV), Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV), and conductor training programs for 1,440 Maratha and Kunbi youth. Commencing on October 1, 2026, the program mandates securing employment or self-employment for at least 1,000 beneficiaries.
In a parallel development, Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil convened a high-level review meeting with divisional commissioners and district officials from across Marathwada to expedite the verification of Kunbi records based on the Hyderabad Gazetteer.
The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar District Collector confirmed that all identified records have been uploaded to the official district website for public viewing via mobile devices. Other district collectors have been instructed to follow suit.
Authorities have been directed to publish verified village-specific records directly on the notice boards of respective Gram Panchayats to ensure complete transparency at the local level.
Meanwhile, Jarange Patil on Monday issued a passionate appeal to the Maratha community across all districts of Maharashtra to gather at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district on September 12 for a key strategic meeting, urging everyone to refrain from heading to Mumbai immediately.
Emphasising the importance of physical presence, Jarange Patil urged community members from every corner of the state — ranging from Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Navi Mumbai, and Mumbai to Nagpur, Kolhapur, Nanded, Sangli, Satara, Hingoli, Parbhani, Latur, Dharashiv, Beed, Jalna, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar — to attend the meeting in person rather than following updates from home.
Jarange Patil stated that the final date and plan for the Mumbai march will be formalised during the September 12 gathering. Large-scale arrangements, including seating, LED screens, and sound systems, are being put in place to accommodate the incoming crowds, regardless of whether attendance reaches thousands or lakhs.
Placing the blame for ongoing tensions entirely on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, pro Maratha quota activist Jarange Patil absolved the police department of blame, reiterating that the movement’s grievance is strictly with the Maharashtra government, not law enforcement.
Demonstrators were advised not to panic, flee, or cause stampedes if confronted by police action. Jarange Patil instructed supporters to maintain peace and ensure that law enforcement personnel are not targeted or harassed under any circumstances.
Issuing a stern warning to the state administration, Jarange Patil declared that if any Maratha demonstrator is injured during the movement towards Mumbai, a complete shutdown (Maharashtra Bandh) would be enforced across the state within 10 minutes.
The upcoming September 12 meeting is expected to determine the next major phase of the Maratha quota agitation as pressure mounts on the state government.
–IANS
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