SRINAGAR: The Central University of Jammu and the Central University of Kashmir together had 1,114 students residing in university hostels as of April 1, 2026, including 346 OBC students at the Jammu varsity and six at the Kashmir varsity, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha.
The figures were provided by Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar in a written reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1255, raised by Shri Rahul Gandhi and answered on July 27, 2026, on hostel accommodation for OBC students in Central Universities.
The annexure showed that the Central University of Jammu had six hostels, including one girls’ hostel, with 521 rooms. A total of 1,086 students were listed as hostel residents, comprising 671 men and 415 women. Of these, 486 were from the general category, 126 Scheduled Castes, 66 Scheduled Tribes, 340 OBCs, 68 Economically Weaker Sections and 0 transgender students.
The Central University of Kashmir, meanwhile, had one hostel, designated as a girls’ hostel, with 10 rooms. It housed 28 students, all women. The category-wise break-up included 15 general-category students, one SC, five ST, six OBC and one EWS student.
The government said 47 Central Universities had a combined enrolment of 3,09,542 students, while approximately 32 per cent of students residing in their hostels belonged to the OBC category. The annexure listed a national total of 1,12,575 hostel residents, including 36,010 OBC students, equivalent to about 32 per cent.
The JK figures indicate that the two universities together accounted for 1,114 hostel residents, or roughly one per cent of the national hostel-resident total, while their combined 352 OBC residents represented just under one per cent of all OBC students accommodated in Central University hostels.
The Ministry clarified that Central Universities are statutory autonomous institutions and take administrative and academic decisions, including hostel allotment, through their respective statutory bodies. It said additional hostel infrastructure is created by universities as student numbers increase, with the Centre supporting university infrastructure, including hostels, through Grant-in-Aid and financing from the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).
According to the reply, Rs 5,603.79 crore was released as grants to Central Universities in 2013-14, while Rs 1,13,943.55 crore was released from 2014-15 to 2025-26. A further Rs 17,440 crore was allocated for 2026-27. The funds are used by universities for academic, administrative and infrastructure requirements according to their priorities.
The government also said the OBC Expansion Scheme, introduced to facilitate implementation of 27 per cent OBC reservation in Central Higher Educational Institutions through expansion of institutional capacity, was implemented for five years from 2008-09. The utilisation period for non-recurring and building grants was later extended until March 31, 2019. Under the scheme, ₹2,496.93 crore was released between 2008-09 and 2018-19 to 13 Central Universities.
The reply further noted that the Union Budget 2026-27 provided for Viability Gap Funding/capital support for girls’ hostels in higher education STEM institutions, covering every district.
The Centre also said financial assistance is available to OBC and other eligible students through schemes including PM-YASASVI, SHREYAS-OBC, PM-USP and PM-Vidyalaxmi, subject to the respective scheme guidelines.
