On Thursday, the Backward Classes and Minority Welfare Committee of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly directed that every hostel under the department in Dakshina Kannada receive a dedicated warden within the next 15 days. The resolution was passed at a meeting of the district committee (DKJIPM) chaired by Tanveer Seth.
Seth highlighted a severe shortage of supervisory staff, noting that a single warden is currently responsible for three to four hostels. He argued that such a ratio compromises student safety, mess management, and overall infrastructure maintenance. The committee therefore issued a strict instruction that no hostel should remain without a full‑time warden.
The committee also pointed out that 23 hostels in the district operate from rented premises. It urged the department to allocate land and construct permanent buildings for these facilities. Additionally, district‑level officials are to be appointed as hostel superintendents to oversee operations.
Under the Vidyasiri scheme, only a limited number of students benefit from hostel seats. The committee called for the full utilisation of the scheme’s grant so that every eligible student receives a place. When procuring beds and mattresses, it advised choosing items suited to the local climate. For privately funded students, the per‑meal allowance was described as “extremely low”; the recommendation was to match it with the rate approved for government hostels.
Although 12,000 applications were received for hostel seats in the district, merely 275 new allocations were made. The committee asked the minority department to expand hostel capacity in line with demand. It also expressed dissatisfaction with the low loan‑recovery rate of the Minority Development Corporation, urging a more aggressive collection approach. Members present included legislators Umanath Kotyan, Rajesh Nayak, B.P. Harish, Iqbal Husain, Karemm Nayak, K. Abdul Jabbar, Keshav Prasad, Backward Classes Minister Suralkar Vikas Kishore, District Collector Darshan H.V., JP M CEO N. Vinayak Karbari, and City Municipal Commissioner Rahul Rathanam Pandey, among others.
Image: varthabharati.in
📰 Source: Vartha Bharati DK