The Jagatsinghpur BJD youth and student wings on Friday staged a protest in front of the Collectorate here over the Centre curtailing SC/ST students’ stipends.
Earlier, the BJD’s young wing had launched a signature drive from the Dalit students and after collection of signatures, a memorandum would be sent to the President of India for intervention, the protestors told.
Attending the meeting, State Planning Board Deputy Chairman and SCs/STs Cell convener Bishnu Das said soon after BJP-led NDA Government assumed power at the Centre in the year 2014, it has started curtailing SC/ST students’ stipend affecting as many as two lakh Dalit students in Odisha.
By reducing the stipend share, the Centre has passed the burden on the State Government. Besides, in last two years, the Central Government has not released its share on Dalit students’ stipend after repeated reminders by the State.
District youth BJD president Amarendra Das chaired the meeting while among others district students’ wing president Bijaya Shankar Das, BJD leaders Manoj Bhoi, Dipti Das, Minati Das, Dola Govinda Das and Bijayalaxmi Behera were present.