Dalit civil service aspirants are to be given free coaching at 31 central universities from this year.

A similar facility started over a decade ago has been lying defunct for the past five years.

The ministry of social justice and empowerment has identified 31 central universities for setting up Dr Ambedkar Centres of Excellence where coaching will be provided. The Dr Ambedkar Foundation (DAF), an arm of the ministry, will sign MoUs with these universities at Banaras Hindu University on Friday.

Under the scheme, 100 Scheduled Caste students selected through an entrance test will be given coaching at each of these centres. There will be no residential facility. The universities will run the centres with the help of their own teachers and invite guest faculty when needed.

The government has also revised the Dr Ambedkar Chair scheme under which funds are provided to conduct research on his life and philosophy.

Earlier, these Chairs had one Chair professor and supporting staff. Under the revised scheme, each Chair will have a Chair professor, an assistant professor and two fellows who will do research. The DAF will sign MoUs with 24 universities for such Chairs.

A similar coaching centre with residential facility for students belonging to SC, ST and minority communities had been started at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow in 2009. It has been lying defunct since 2017.

Vikash Trivedi, director of the DAF, said the schemes would be monitored regularly.

“Our expectation is that at least 10 per cent of students enrolled in each coaching centre should clear the civil services mains exam. The Ambedkar Chair should produce new material based on research on Dr Ambedkar,” Trivedi said.