Labour minister Janardhan Singh Sigriwal (centre) and Jyoti Kumari (right) at the Bihar Legislative Council in Patna on Monday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Feb. 28: The state government today said in the Legislative Council that private educational institutions getting grants from the government would have to implement SC/ST and OBC quota for the appointment of teaching and non-teaching employees in these institutions.

Human resource development (HRD) department minister P.K. Shahi, while replying to a question, said: “We will put conditions in the rule for getting grant under which private educational institutions will have to provide quota (to SC, ST, OBC candidates) as per government rules in all future appointments.”

Hira Prasad Bind, who raised the question through an attention motion in the Upper House, wanted to know from the government as to when it would ensure the implementation of reservation policy in private schools and colleges so that people belonging to these sections can be accommodated in the appointment. Another member Narendra Prasad Singh through attention motion wanted an assurance from the government for constructing boundary walls, separate toilets for girls and boys and drinking water in the middle schools.

Another member Kiran Ghai Singh said girls have to face a lot of problem in the absence of toilets and hence the government should take steps in this regard soon.

Shahi, who assured the House about government’s commitment to provide separate toilets for girl students, said that keeping in mind the growing number of enrolments and limited resources, the government would certainly construct separate toilets and boundary walls on a priority basis.

“The government’s priority right now is to build new schools instead of constructing boundary walls of the existing schools,” the minister said admitting that around 2,567 middle schools in the state did not have boundary walls. Enumerating the facilities through figures, Shahi said that 96 per cent schools have the facility of drinking water whereas 60 per cent have common toilets besides 37 per cent have separate toilets for girl students.

In reply to another question raised by Neeraj Kumar during the Question Hour, rural works department minister Bhim Singh said the state government has written letter to the Centre for not completing the 2,000km road, which was to be built under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana.

“The state government would build these roads from its own resources once the Centre says in clear-cut terms that it would not build these 2,000km roads,” Singh added.

Rural development minister Nitish Mishra said that the list of below poverty line (BPL) families would be prepared afresh according to the methodology suggested by the Centre to carry out the survey.

Mishra, however, made it clear that as per central government’s guideline only those people listed in the BPL list would be eligible to get funds under the Indira Awaas Yojana.