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Chandrapur: Thousands of tribal students in *Ashramshalas* (residential schools) sleep on the floor; despite an expenditure of ?99 crore, there are no beds!
Chandrapur: Shocking information has come to light revealing that out of 8,786 students studying in the district's 32 government and aided *Ashramshalas*, a staggering 8,442 students lack beds for sleeping. Beds are available for only 344 students, while the rest are forced to spend the night sleeping on mattresses or mats spread on the floor.
There are a total of 6,672 students across 24 aided *Ashramshalas*; of these, 6,552 sleep on mattresses without beds. A similar situation exists in the eight government *Ashramshalas*, where 1,890 out of 2,114 students lack beds.
At the Shivaji *Ashramshala* in Subbai, there are only 76 beds for 466 resident students; at Bhari, a mere 50 beds for 375 students; at Maregaon, 150 beds for 313 students; and at Mangi, only 63 beds for 188 students. At the school in Patan, there are 343 students but only 100 mattresses, forcing two or three students to share a single mattress.
Since most *Ashramshalas* are located near forests and often lack concrete buildings or separate hostels, students reside in tin sheds. Some hostels lack windows, exposing students to rain, heat, wind, and the constant threat of venomous creatures. About 45 female students are forced to sleep together in a single small room, and fearing snakes and scorpions, they stuff the gaps in the doors with clothes.
The annual expenditure on these *Ashramshalas* is approximately ?99 crore. About ?26.35 crore is spent on the students, while ?73.35 crore goes towards the salaries of teachers and staff. Despite such substantial spending, the lack of basic amenities raises serious questions about the administration's functioning. The granting of recognition to new *Ashramshalas* (residential schools for tribal students) has been halted since 1995, and most existing schools date back 30 to 40 years. Inspections are conducted monthly by Integrated Tribal Development Project Officers, and reports are submitted to the government; yet, the question arises as to why no concrete action is taken. Project Officer Vikas Rachelwar has stated that he lacks the authority to take action against aided *Ashramshalas* and that, although reports are forwarded to the Commissioner, no action follows.
Chandrapur: Shocking information has come to light revealing that out of 8,786 students studying in the district's 32 government and aided *Ashramshalas*, a staggering 8,442 students lack beds for sleeping. Beds are available for only 344 students, while the rest are forced to spend the night sleeping on mattresses or mats spread on the floor.
There are a total of 6,672 students across 24 aided *Ashramshalas*; of these, 6,552 sleep on mattresses without beds. A similar situation exists in the eight government *Ashramshalas*, where 1,890 out of 2,114 students lack beds.
At the Shivaji *Ashramshala* in Subbai, there are only 76 beds for 466 resident students; at Bhari, a mere 50 beds for 375 students; at Maregaon, 150 beds for 313 students; and at Mangi, only 63 beds for 188 students. At the school in Patan, there are 343 students but only 100 mattresses, forcing two or three students to share a single mattress.
Since most *Ashramshalas* are located near forests and often lack concrete buildings or separate hostels, students reside in tin sheds. Some hostels lack windows, exposing students to rain, heat, wind, and the constant threat of venomous creatures. About 45 female students are forced to sleep together in a single small room, and fearing snakes and scorpions, they stuff the gaps in the doors with clothes.
The annual expenditure on these *Ashramshalas* is approximately ?99 crore. About ?26.35 crore is spent on the students, while ?73.35 crore goes towards the salaries of teachers and staff. Despite such substantial spending, the lack of basic amenities raises serious questions about the administration's functioning. The granting of recognition to new *Ashramshalas* (residential schools for tribal students) has been halted since 1995, and most existing schools date back 30 to 40 years. Inspections are conducted monthly by Integrated Tribal Development Project Officers, and reports are submitted to the government; yet, the question arises as to why no concrete action is taken. Project Officer Vikas Rachelwar has stated that he lacks the authority to take action against aided *Ashramshalas* and that, although reports are forwarded to the Commissioner, no action follows.
There are a total of 6,672 students across 24 aided *Ashramshalas*; of these, 6,552 sleep on mattresses without beds. A similar situation exists in the eight government *Ashramshalas*, where 1,890 out of 2,114 students lack beds.
At the Shivaji *Ashramshala* in Subbai, there are only 76 beds for 466 resident students; at Bhari, a mere 50 beds for 375 students; at Maregaon, 150 beds for 313 students; and at Mangi, only 63 beds for 188 students. At the school in Patan, there are 343 students but only 100 mattresses, forcing two or three students to share a single mattress.
Since most *Ashramshalas* are located near forests and often lack concrete buildings or separate hostels, students reside in tin sheds. Some hostels lack windows, exposing students to rain, heat, wind, and the constant threat of venomous creatures. About 45 female students are forced to sleep together in a single small room, and fearing snakes and scorpions, they stuff the gaps in the doors with clothes.
The annual expenditure on these *Ashramshalas* is approximately ?99 crore. About ?26.35 crore is spent on the students, while ?73.35 crore goes towards the salaries of teachers and staff. Despite such substantial spending, the lack of basic amenities raises serious questions about the administration's functioning. The granting of recognition to new *Ashramshalas* (residential schools for tribal students) has been halted since 1995, and most existing schools date back 30 to 40 years. Inspections are conducted monthly by Integrated Tribal Development Project Officers, and reports are submitted to the government; yet, the question arises as to why no concrete action is taken. Project Officer Vikas Rachelwar has stated that he lacks the authority to take action against aided *Ashramshalas* and that, although reports are forwarded to the Commissioner, no action follows.
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