Condemning the State government’s decision to cut down scholarships given to the children of construction workers, members of All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioners’ office here on Saturday demanding that the government withdraw its decision and continue the scholarship scheme for them.
Students from different educational institutions who were deprived of scholarships joined the protest organised by the Kalaburagi district unit of AIDSO. The protesters stated that the scholarship given to the children of construction workers in the State has been slashed by 50-60%. The government was disbursing scholarships from ₹5,000 to ₹60,000 a year for each student, and now it has been reduced from ₹1,100 to ₹11,000 per year.
AIDSO, district committee member Venkatesh Deodurg stated that the scholarship scheme had helped the children of poor workers pursue their education, and professional courses including medicine and engineering. Now, the steep decline in the allocation of funds for scholarships has discouraged the children of construction workers who are aspiring to take up higher education.
Mr. Deodurg said that the money collected in the form of cess should be used for welfare of construction workers and their children.
