The Delhi government will set up dedicated hostels for visually impaired college-going girls in every district of the capital, Social Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj Singh announced recently.

Singh made the declaration during an inspection of the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences — a Delhi government residential school in Isapur village, Najafgarh — where he met officials and local residents to review ongoing educational and welfare schemes.

The minister said several hostels for school and college students had been shut in previous years due to “government negligence,” leaving thousands of underprivileged students without residential support. He also flagged irregularities in coaching institutes meant to prepare students for competitive exams.

According to an official statement, the Isapur residential school served students from SC, OBC, minority and orphan backgrounds, providing free accommodation, meals, uniforms, stationery and medical care, along with vocational training and sports facilities. Despite a capacity of 1,200, it had around 800 students when it was forced to close in September 2024 due to a deteriorating building and lack of funds.

Singh said the current administration’s priority is to restore quality education and ensure safe living conditions for children from marginalised communities. The government, he added, is working to reopen defunct hostels and construct new ones to meet rising demand.

He noted that a new hostel for visually impaired college girls was recently inaugurated in Timarpur during the Sewa Pakhwada. The plan now is to scale this model across Delhi, with one such facility in every district, along with reopening the Sanskar Ashram in Dilshad Garden.