Govt to set up four hostels for BC students in Kolhapur

Kolhapur, Apr 2 (UNI) Kolhapur District Guardian Minister Harshwardhan Patil today said four hostels for Backward Class (BC) students will be constructed in Kolhapur district under the State Social Welfare Department scheme.

Addressing a press meet here, Mr Patil, who is also the State Marketing Minister, said these hostels would be constructed in four tehsils-- Radhanagari, Gaganbavada, Kagal and Ajra--with budgetary provision of Rs Four crore for each hostel.

The minister handed over a cheque of Rs 17.5 crore to District Collector Pravin Darade in this connection. He said the State Social Welfare Department has selected 100 tehsils in Maharashtra to construct hostels for Backward Class students.

The State Government has sanctioned Rs 4.71 crore towards compensation to the Kolhapur district farmers, whose crops were damaged during last monsoon. The amount will be disbursed to the concerned farmers within a week, he informed and said the district has utilised 100 per cent amount of its sanctioned plan budget for the year 2006-2007.

A meeting of concerned sections will be held in Mumbai soon under chairmanship of State Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, to decide about farmers' sugarcane and sugar rates problems, Mr Patil said. After the end of the current Assembly session, a joint meeting of Kolhapur and border area Belgaum district Guardian Ministers, Districts Collectors, Irrigation Department officers and others will be arranged in Kolhapur to prepare a plan about water storage planning in Almatti Dam.

UNI