Nagpur: State tribal development department has withdrawn restrictions that barred students residing in govt tribal hostels from participating in organisations, hunger strikes and marches, approaching media with grievances or mobilising fellow students against the administration, while also raising maximum age for hostel admission from 26 to 30 years.The restrictions had figured in Appendix D Clause 22 of rules issued through a GR on Aug 5. The clause required students to first submit hostel-related grievances in writing to warden or hostel head and prohibited them from participating in organisations, hunger strikes or protests, approaching media over complaints, forming groups against administration or encouraging strikes.However, the revised GR issued on Aug 14 contains no such provision. Its rules for hostel residents end after Clause 12, effectively removing earlier restrictions.The revision followed statewide opposition to the Aug 5 GR, including a sit-in by hundreds of ST students outside the additional commissioner, tribal development, office in Nagpur. After students raised objections, the department held consultations with representatives from all four additional commissioner jurisdictions before issuing the revised GR on Aug 14. The GR itself records that students had raised objections to some provisions of the earlier GR.An official statement by integrated tribal development project (ITDP), Nagpur, said tribal development minister and dept secretary interacted with student representatives via video conference on Aug 14 before changes were made. The GR acknowledges difficulties faced by students, raising age limit to 30 years, bringing it on lines of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Swayam scheme.
