27 August,2026 07:28 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike met the protesting students late on Wednesday. Pic/X (@drashokuike_mla)
Maharashtra Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike on Thursday appealed to tribal students protesting in Pune to call off their agitation, saying the state government was committed to resolving their concerns, reported the PTI.
The appeal came as a hunger strike by a group of tribal students entered its 15th day, with several protesters reportedly experiencing a decline in their health.
Uike met the protesting students late on Wednesday in Pune and said the government was prepared to accept most of their demands.
Uike said the state government had cancelled its earlier order imposing an age limit of 30 years for admission to tribal hostels.
He said the move was intended to address concerns raised by students over hostel admission rules.
The minister also said the government had agreed to construct a hostel on the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus.
The proposed facility is aimed at providing better accommodation for tribal students travelling to Pune from different parts of Maharashtra for education, as per the PTI.
Another major demand concerns the direct benefit transfer (DBT) system for meals.
The protesting students have called for the DBT system to be scrapped and replaced with a localised meal supply arrangement.
Uike said DBT could not simply be discontinued but added that the government had discussed the matter with students in Pune, who had agreed to give the authorities some time to consider the issue, the news agency reported.
Uike also addressed concerns over caste validity certificates.
He said colleges and universities should not issue graduation or course completion certificates unless students submit the required caste validity certificate.
He added that transfer certificates should also not be issued without the document and said written instructions had been sent to the departments concerned.
The minister said the government had taken note of health and safety concerns at ashram schools, including the deaths of young girls following snakebites in Gadchiroli earlier this month.
He said officials had been instructed to take appropriate preventive measures.
Ashram schools are residential institutions run or supported by the Tribal Development Department to provide education to children in remote, hilly and tribal areas.
Uike also said the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA, was in force in the state.
According to the minister, Maharashtra currently has 13 central kitchens providing food to around 2.25 lakh children.
Uike said recruitment under the PESA Act could be started wherever feasible.
He added that the General Administration Department had issued instructions in this regard.
The minister urged the students to end their agitation and cautioned them against what he described as the "trap" of Opposition parties.
He also said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was supporting the students and their concerns.
According to the PTI, the students, however, refused to end their protest after holding a nearly five-hour meeting with Uike on Wednesday.
They said they would continue their hunger strike until the government issued a written order formally accepting their demands.
The late-night meeting failed to resolve the deadlock, with the protesters insisting on written assurances while the government sought another two days to address their concerns.
A group of tribal college students has been protesting at a hostel in Pune's Manjari area for the past 15 days.
Their demands cover hostel facilities, admission rules, food arrangements, caste validity requirements and other issues related to tribal students' education and welfare.
Several political leaders also visited the protest site on Wednesday to express solidarity with the protesting students.
With the hunger strike continuing, the students and the state government remain at odds over the timeline and manner in which their demands should be formally addressed, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
