Maha govt grants OBC equivalent educational benefits to Maratha students from academic year 2026-27
Mumbai, June 5
Days after pro-Maratha reservation activists Manoj Jarange-Patil withdrew his fast, the Maharashtra government on Friday issued a government resolution to extend all educational concessions and welfare schemes to students from the Maratha community, on par with those available to the Other Backward Classes category.
As per the GR, Maratha students will now be eligible for all educational concessions and facilities across all eligible courses.
The benefits of these schemes will be implemented immediately, starting from the current academic year 2026-2027.
The GR has been issued to implement the educational schemes and concessions across several key departments, including School Education and Sports, Higher and Technical Education, Medical Education, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, and Fisheries and Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Development.
The government's move comes when Jarange-Patil has consistently demanded that Maratha students should receive educational concessions and schemes equivalent to OBC students, previously alleging that the implementation had been ineffective.
The issue was thoroughly discussed in a recent meeting of the Maratha Reservation Sub committee, where roadblocks to implementing these benefits were identified.
The sub committee noted that the rollout required independent budget allocation, essential technical modifications to the MahaDBT portal, and direct instructions to all concerned departments.
Consequently, the General Administration Department (GAD) issued the formal orders today to streamline the process, the GR said.
According to GR, Maratha students will now have access to a wide array of benefits. They will get extension of the scholarship scheme available to post-matric students, the scholarship schemes to be applicable to primary, secondary, and higher secondary students and reimbursement covering 16 different academic components to be available to OBC students studying in aided and unaided colleges.
The Motor Vehicle Driver and Conductor Training Scheme is implemented through the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development (SARATHI) institute, the GR noted.
The Vocational Training Fee Reimbursement Scheme for candidates will be applicable to those enrolled in private Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and under PPP (Public-Private Partnership) seats in government ITIs.
"Coverage under the scheme will be applicable to state residents pursuing aided and unaided professional courses in other states. Educational concessions will also be extended to Maratha students who secure admission against vacant seats at the institutional level, approved by the Admissions Regulating Authority, after the completion of the Centralised Admission Process (CAP)," the GR said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some action! But I'm cautiously hopeful. The GR looks good on paper, but implementation is key. We've seen many schemes fail at the MahaDBT portal stage before. Hope the technical modifications are sorted quickly. Maratha students definitely deserve these benefits, but we need to ensure OBC quotas aren't diluted in the process. Faucet to the ground level, as we say in Maharashtra. 🤞
As someone who follows Indian politics from abroad, this seems like a political move more than genuine welfare. Jarange-Patil's fast withdrawal and then immediate GR? Seems convenient. Also, where's the independent budget allocation mentioned? Without proper funds, these are just empty promises. Hope I'm wrong, but Maharashtra's track record on implementation isn't great.
This is GREAT news for Maratha students like my cousin who was struggling with fees for engineering. The post-matric scholarship and reimbursement of academic components will really help families who can't afford private colleges. Also happy to see Vocational Training and ITI schemes included—not everyone wants to do engineering or medicine. Good move, government! 👏
I'm not against Maratha students getting benefits, but why "equivalent to OBC"? The Maratha community is not a backward class—that's been established by courts. This seems like a backdoor way to give reservation without calling it reservation. What about genuinely backward communities who have been waiting for years? Playing with caste politics again, it seems. 😕
At least something is moving! My brother is a Maratha student doing MBBS in a private college and the fees are crushing us. If this reimbursement scheme works, it'll be a lifesaver. But I'm worried about the CAP seats clause—most Maratha students don't get CAP seats in professional courses. Hope the "vacant seats" part really helps those who miss out. 🙏