The Haj Committee of India (HCI) decided to reduce the number of seats of the Civil Services Residential Coaching Institute in Mumbai, which guides Muslim candidates for civils.
The HCI, which was set up with the aim of guiding Muslim students for competitive exams was training 200 students every year from 2015 untill last year. This year, it has decided to reduce its seats to only 100.
HCI CEO Yaqoob Sheikha has asked seniors to vacate the premises for the fresh batch of students just a day after their UPSC Mains exams.
Seeking services for the welfare of deserving students from the community be restored, Maharashtra Activists Forum – a group of activists fighting for the cause of social justice and minority rights – has sent a memorandum to Sheikha.
According to the organization, the residential coaching facility has been conducive in increasing the number of Muslim candidates clearing civil service exams. Therefore, reducing the number of seats to 100 will hamper civil service plans of many youngsters from the minority community, the report said.
When started in 2009, the facility had 50 seats until 2015, after which the number gradually increased to 200 till last year.
Candidates were selected on the basis of merit, following an entrance test, with Rs 15,000 as deposit fees for the stay and Rs 4,000 for food, which also had a subsidy over it. The residential coaching center would run in association with a training agency for civil service examinations.
Hajj House aspirants believe that letting seniors continue to stay and study at the premises even after their formal training of one year was crucial to the success of this scheme. The centre provides them a conductive atmosphere for study and they help freshers, as per reports.
The 20-storied Hajj House building has sufficient capacity for both the fresher as well as senior batches, they said adding that limiting it to just for the freshers will be detrimental for the cause of increasing Muslims in Civil services.
