Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana (BJRCY)

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has initiated the Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana (BJRCY) for the construction of hostels which enables and encourages students belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) to attain quality education. The Scheme's objective is to attract the implementing agencies for undertaking hostel construction program is beneficial to the students hailing from the rural and remote areas. Let us look in detail about the Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana in this article. To know about Working Women Hostel Scheme

Objectives

The scheme of construction of hostels for the SC students aims towards the broader conception and reduction of their drop out rate. This scheme intends to prioritize the construction of girls hostel holding with a capacity of 100 seats, in each and every block headquarters of low literacy Districts. To achieve the standardization and reduction in the gestation of the construction period and also ensures having an effective mechanism for reviewing, monitoring, quality control, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

The BJRCY Scheme will be implemented through the State/Union Territory Administrations and the Central and State Universities or institutions, and they will be provided with eligible central assistance based on the provision of this scheme, both for the new construction of hostel building and for expansion of their existing hostel facilities. Under the private sector, the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and deemed Universities maintaining a good track record will be eligible to apply for the central assistance under the Scheme only for enhancing the infrastructure facilities of their existing hostel.

Location and Scope of Hostels

The priority to be given to the areas having a major population of SC people of 20% and more and without adequate hostel facilities for SC students while the sanctioning process of hostels.
The preference will be given to integrated hostels (which are part of established educational institutions) over the stand-alone hostels.
In the case of girls, the hostel buildings will be located in the areas having low SC women literacy. The girls’ hostel building will be constructed in the close vicinity (as far as possible within a radius of 200m) of the educational institution.
The focus will be given for the construction of hostel buildings for the middle and higher secondary levels of education. The hostels can also be constructed for the college and university levels of education.
The boundary walls construction, two rooms set for the hostel warden and one room set for the Chowkidar would be an integral part of this scheme.
The expenditure on the maintenance of the hostels will be borne by the implementing agencies concerned with their own funds.

Capacity of Hostels

The capacity per hostel must not exceed 100 students. In cases, the hostels with the larger capacities can be considered. Each hostel room must accommodate 2 to 3 students. No single room for accommodation would be provided in the hostels.

Funding Pattern

Hostels for SC Girls

100% central assistance would be granted to the State Governments and UT Administrations and the Central/State Universities or institutions.
90% of central assistance would be granted to the private sectors of NGOs and deemed Universities only for the development of the existing hostel facilities.

Hostels for SC Boys

The central assistance of 50% to the State Governments on the matching share basis and 100% to the UT Administrations.
The central assistance of 90% to the Central Universities or institutions (remaining 10% of the cost to be borne by the University or institution concerned), while for the State Universities or institutions, the central assistance would be granted of about 45% and the remaining 55% of the total cost to be borne by the University or institution and the State Government or UT Administration concerned)
The central assistance of about 45% to the private sectors of NGOs and deemed Universities for the expansion of their existing hostels (the remaining 55% of the cost to be borne by the concerned agency and the State Government or UT Administration)
In case the State Government or UT Administration that does not contribute their expected share of about 45% to the NGOs or Universities, the share of the former will also have to be borne by the concerned NGOs or Universities, thereby raising 55% of their contribution.

Terms and Conditions

No fee would be chargeable from the SC students for any kind of provisions of hostel facilities which includes water, electricity and maintenance charges, etc. The central assistance will be granted only towards the sharing of the cost of construction of the hostels for the SC girls and boys as per the norms. In addition to the central assistance under the scheme, a one-time grant of Rs.2500 per student will also be provided for making provisions of a cot, table and chair for each student. The implementing companies must hold ownership and occupancy status record over the land where the hostels are to be established.

Application Procedure

Separate application forms to be submitted for SC Girls and Boys as per the prescribed formats. Wherever applicable, the applications to be supported by details of the physical and financial progress of hostels sanctioned earlier by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.
A proposal for the hostel construction would necessarily be accompanied by a detailed record of the names etc. of the students those who are belonging to the target groups in the existing roll and stated policy proof and commitment of the institution regarding its action plan for the implementation of the reservation norms.
The proposal for the enhancement of existing hostels would be submitted by the NGOs or deemed universities in the private sector to the concerned State Government or UT Administration.
Upon submitting proposals for the release of central assistance, the implementing agencies would give a time frame about the completion of the construction of hostels which would, in any case, be less than the maximum prescribed period.
It would be mandatory for all the institutions concerned to the provide proportional representation to the SC girls/boys in their regular hostels and the additional seats created under this Scheme, together with the normal quota will be allocated evenly amongst all the hostels including the hostels constructed under the BJRCY Scheme.

Release of Central Assistance

In the case of the private sector of NGOs and deemed Universities, the admissible grants-in-aid shall be released generally in two equal instalments.

First instalment: Released at the time of sanctioning the project
Second and Final installment: Released upon the receipt of physical and financial reports from the designated authority only after the completion of construction work at least up to roof level and full utilization of the first installment amount of the grants-in-aid released by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment together with applicable matching share by the concerned NGOs or deemed Universities.

In the case of State/Central Governments & State Universities or institutions, the admissible grants-in-aid would be released after ensuring the physical release of requisite matching shares. The admissible grants-in-aid for the implementing agencies would be released to them directly.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana: SC Hostels Initiative.

The Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana (BJRCY) is a scheme initiated by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment for the construction of hostels to enable and encourage students belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) to attain quality education. The scheme aims to attract implementing agencies to undertake hostel construction programs, particularly benefiting students from rural and remote areas.

The primary objectives of the BJRCY Scheme are to promote the broader conception and reduction of the dropout rate among Scheduled Caste students, and to prioritize the construction of girls' hostels with a capacity of 100 seats in each block headquarters of low literacy districts. The scheme also aims to achieve standardization, reduce construction time, and ensure effective monitoring, quality control, and review mechanisms.

The BJRCY Scheme will be implemented through State/Union Territory Administrations, Central and State Universities or institutions, and they will be eligible for central assistance based on the scheme's provisions. In the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and deemed Universities with a good track record will be eligible to apply for central assistance only for enhancing the infrastructure facilities of their existing hostels.

Priority is given to areas with a major population of Scheduled Castes (20% or more) and without adequate hostel facilities for SC students. Preference is given to integrated hostels (within educational institutions) over stand-alone hostels. For girls' hostels, the focus is on areas with low SC women literacy, and the hostel buildings will be located within a radius of 200 meters from the educational institution.

The capacity per hostel must not exceed 100 students, although larger capacities can be considered. Each hostel room should accommodate 2 to 3 students, and no single rooms for accommodation will be provided in the hostels.

For SC Girls' hostels, 100% central assistance is provided to State Governments, UT Administrations, and Central/State Universities or institutions, while 90% central assistance is provided to NGOs and deemed Universities for enhancing existing hostel facilities. For SC Boys' hostels, central assistance varies from 45% to 100% depending on the implementing agency (State Governments, UT Administrations, Central/State Universities or institutions, NGOs, and deemed Universities).

Yes, one of the key conditions is that no fee should be charged from SC students for any kind of hostel facilities, including water, electricity, and maintenance charges. Additionally, implementing agencies must have ownership and occupancy status over the land where the hostels are to be constructed.

For the private sector (NGOs and deemed Universities), the admissible grants-in-aid are generally released in two equal installments – the first at the time of project sanctioning, and the second upon completion of at least the roof level and utilization of the first installment. For State/Central Governments and State Universities or institutions, the admissible grants-in-aid are released after ensuring the physical release of the requisite matching share.

Separate application forms are to be submitted for SC Girls and Boys hostels in the prescribed formats. The application should include details of any previously sanctioned hostels, a detailed record of the target group students, and a time frame for the completion of construction. Proposals for enhancing existing hostels from NGOs or deemed Universities should be submitted to the concerned State Government or UT Administration.

It is mandatory for all institutions to provide proportional representation to SC girls/boys in their regular hostels, and the additional seats created under the BJRCY Scheme, together with the normal quota, will be allocated evenly among all the hostels, including those constructed under the BJRCY Scheme.