The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Seats aplenty in welfare hostels

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Thursday, Jun 23, 2011
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Seats aplenty in welfare hostels

Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM: Seats in social welfare hostels are remaining vacant in spite of the provision of all facilities to the children in them.

For admission to the hostels in the city that have been functioning for many decades, the children have to hail from an area which is at a distance of more than 5 km from the hostel.

For instance, the Social Welfare Hostel-2 at Sitammadhara is meant for boys belonging to scheduled castes from class 3 to 7. Sixty of the 100 seats are vacant. Seats are also available at the hostel at Muralinagar too.

Since the hostel is meant for those from Class 3 to 7 if students from within the city are admitted they are leaving the hostel at night. Hence only those from beyond 5 km are accommodated. But it is leading to seats remaining vacant.

There are 56 hostels for Backward Classes and 86 for scheduled castes in the district. Besides food, eggs, fruit and sweets, four pairs of clothes, a trunk, a blanket, bed-sheet etc are provided and allowance for cosmetics given. Since several hostels are available in villages and with parents preferring children to stay in proximity, the seats in the city are particularly remaining vacant, according to M. Venkata Rao, Welfare Officer of the Sitammadhara hostel.

In the 16 SC hostels in the city and the suburbs alone, 750 seats are available. In 79 hostels all over the district, 3,265 seats are vacant, says Mr. Venkata Rao, who is President of district unit of AP Hostel Welfare Officers' Association.

In view of the facilities, social activists and other well-meaning persons should come forward and help those in need of support for education join the hostels, he appeals. Mr. Venkata Rao can be contacted on 8341160318.

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