Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 20: In a first of its kind humanitarian gesture, Sarhad — a Maharashtra NGO has sought permission from Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to adopt around 1,000 stranded Afghan students who are in dire straits after the Taliban takeover of their motherland.
In a letter to the PM, president of Sarhad Sanjay Nahar, working president Surendra Wadhwa and chief organizer Santsingh Mokha narrated the plight of the young students in Pune, Mumbai, other parts of the State and the rest of India.
“Since the Afghan issue has become explosive and internationally ‘politically sensitive’, we cannot undertake the task without the Indian Government’s permission and selection of the needy Afghan students,” Nahar said.
Sarhad has collaborated with ‘Shri Guru Teghbahadurji 400th Prakash Purab-2021 Committee’ and is in talks with Jain, Buddhist, and Muslim groups to help in the noble cause, with a Government representative helping identify the needy youngsters, he added.
“We have decided to launch the initiative with 50 needy students in Pune right away, the rest we shall take up after the Centre’s signal and participation of other religious and educational groups,” Nahar assured.
Through the initiatives, Sarhad and other groups-educational institutions will provide the full lodging, boarding, financial help with fees and other requirements of these students till the situation in Afghanistan normalizes.
“Our priority is for those students whose visas have expired or are on verge of expiry, bringing back those who had gone to Afghanistan and arranging finances since they have to pay for their food, rentals and other things,” added Nahar.
Around 11,000 Afghan students, including around 35 percent women, study in colleges and universities across India, with the largest chunk of around 5,000 in Maharashtra. They include around 3,000 in Pune, 700 in Mumbai, and the rest scattered in other cities, though the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) data shows less than 2,500 students here on Government scholarships.
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