Dost was started by the Delhi Police three years back to provide better education to the children of constables and other police staff. And today it is maintained by the Outer District Police Station. Everyday, some 45 students come to this centre, where the minimal membership fee is Rs 100 per year.

“Our quarters are very small and so children had a hard time concentrating on their studies. The study centre was started as a solution to this problem, but two years back it was opened to outsiders as well,” says Constable Harish Kumar, librarian at Dost. Around 100 more outside students enrolled for the facilities. At first, the Outer District Police Station functioned alongside the centre, but in order to accommodate the students it was shifted to another location. The centre has a library, that contains CBSE books and other competitive examination books. So popular is the hub that students from even Haryana border come to study here, said Constable Kumar.

Tarun Chikara is one such student who travels two hours daily to and from Jaunti Village in Punjab. "The facilities provided here are very good. I could not have found the same facilities anywhere else," he says as he bends down on his Mathematics book.

Manoj Kumar, one of the oldest students at Dost, is preparing for MBA entrance tests and finds the hub a blessing. “I take coaching classes but that is not enough. One has to reinforce what one has learnt at the classes and Dost gives me an opportunity to do it,” he says.

Three weeks back, R K Handa, a senior researcher at the Panjab University visited the centre. He told Newsline that Dost is one of the best-maintained study centres in Delhi. “For students belonging to the lower income group, this is a big boon. What makes it better is the academic discussions and group meetings that are held on a regular basis,” Handa says.