CCEA approves revision of centrally sponsored hostel scheme for SC students

The primary objective of the revised scheme is to attract the implementing agencies for undertaking hostel construction programme, especially for SC girls towards the broader vision of containment and reduction of their drop out rate.

According to the revised scheme, focus would be given for construction of hostels for middle and higher secondary levels of education. However, hostels can also be constructed for college and university levels of education. The hostels will be completed within a period of two years from the date of sanction of the project.

The Government of India would meet the entire cost of construction for SC girls’ hostels as central assistance. However, in the case of boys’ hostels, the prevailing pattern of funding would continue, which is 50 percent for States, 100 percent for Union Territory Administration, 90 percent for Central Universities and 45 percent for other Universities.

Further, as hitherto, Central assistance for NGOs would be eligible only for expansion of their existing hostel buildings. In addition to meting the cost of construction in the form of central assistance as mentioned above, the Centre would also provide one-time grant of Rs.2500 per student for making provisions of a cot, a table and a chair for each hosteller.

Another important provision included in the revised scheme is involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the matter of selection of hostel site and overseeing the functioning of the hostels. Further, it has also been provided in the scheme that priority in allotment of hostel accommodation would be given to SC students whose parent are either “Safai Karamcharis” or engaged in unclean occupations.

At its weekly meeting here today, the CCEA also gave its approval for development of offshore container terminal on build, operate and transfer basis at Mumbai Port.

The development will be done under Licence Agreement to be entered into by Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) with the BOT operator namely, aConsortium of Gammon India Limited, Gammon Infrastructure Limited and Dragados SPL, Spain. 

The total cost of the OCT Project is estimated to be Rs.1228 crore.  The investment by the BOT Operator will be Rs.862 crore and the investment by port to carry out works under their scope will be Rs.366.39 crore. The capacity addition due to implementation of this project will be 9.6 million tones per annum.

The project will enable the port to handle large size container vessels, which will save precious foreign exchange; it will facilitate the Mumbai Port to bridge the capacity gap in Mumbai Region along with JNPT; will facilitate augmented growth in trade, employment generation and increasing income, incremental regional economic development in addition to other spin-off economic benefits; and will provide a cost effective and efficient gateway for imports and exports for industries in the Special Economic Zone, the opening of retail sector. (ANI)