The Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday cleared the implementation of the hostel scheme for the children of sugarcane cutting workers. The hostels will be set up at taluka level for the education of children of sugarcane cutting workers.
Minister of Social Justice Dhananjay Munde said the Gopinathrao Munde Ustod Kamgar Kalyan Mahamandal will be the nodal agency for the scheme titled Sant Bhagwan Baba Vasatigruh Yojana. “Under the scheme, a total of 82 hostels with a total capacity of 100 students each will be set up in each of the 41 talukas with the highest number of sugarcane workers in the state. All facilities like accommodation, meals will be provided free of cost in these hostels,” he added.
Munde said the cabinet has approved 20 hostels in 10 talukas in the first phase. These hostels will come up at Parli, Kej, Patoda, Gevrai, Majalgaon in Beed district and Pathardi and Jamkhed in Ahmednagar district and Ghansawangi and Ambad in Jalna district. These hostels will be started in the current academic year.
The state cabinet’s decision is important as children of sugarcane cutting workers, who migrate during the sugar season for six months, skip half their classes every year. They also face a problem accessing sakhar shala (schools run by sugar factories) as they are situated far away from their stay.
