SC/ST Hostels to Be Opened in All 534 Blocks of Bihar Over Next Five Years

Hostels will be opened for SC/ST students in all blocks of the state. These will be constructed in all 534 blocks over the next five years. To date, 139 hostels are currently operational, and approval has been granted for 60 new hostels, with construction work underway in some locations. This was stated by Lakhendra Kumar Roshan, Minister of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department, during a press conference held in the Information Building's press conference on Friday.

He stated that 91 residential schools are currently in operation, providing free housing and high-quality educational facilities to the students. Students from these residential schools have achieved success in NEET, JEE, and other prestigious institutions. In addition to the 91 residential schools, 28 new schools have been approved. There are also plans to open 100-bed Savitribai Phule hostels in each district. Land has been allocated for this purpose in 18 districts, and work has already begun in some locations.

He further stated that each student in these hostels receives 15 kg of grain (9 kg rice/6 kg wheat) free of charge. Additionally, children receive ₹1,000 per month through DBT under the Chief Minister's Hostel Grant Scheme. These hostels provide special attention to education, with other educational facilities including a digital library.

In 2025-26, 1,53,506 students received the Chief Minister's Scholarship Scheme. The department is running the Civil Services Incentive Scheme for SC/ST students. Under the Prevention of Atrocities Act, a grant of ₹127.50 crore was provided to SC/ST communities in 2025-26. This provision provides for government jobs for dependents of murder victims. So far, 107 dependents have been provided jobs, while 1,477 dependents are receiving pension payments.

The Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission is working specifically for these communities. For this purpose, 9,718 development friends have been deployed in each Panchayat. To date, 4,808 community buildings and workshops have been constructed in SC/ST communities. The department has formed the Integrated Tharuhat Development Authority for the development of the Tharuhat region. 357 projects have been initiated, of which 279 have been completed and work is underway on 78.

He informed that under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme, scholarships for students in classes 1 to 10 have been doubled. Under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme, the scholarships have been increased to 7,500 rupees for ITI, 15,000 rupees for Diploma/Polytechnic and other equivalent courses, and 25,000 rupees for vocational technical education courses.

Present on the occasion was the Secretary of the Department, Sandeep Kumar R. Pudkalkatti, who stated that the department is implementing various schemes for their upliftment, which are accelerating their development.

Present on the occasion were Priyanka Rani, Director; Gautam Paswan, Additional Secretary; Diwan Jafar Hussain Khan; Special Officer; Vinod Kumar Pankaj, Private Secretary; and others.