Parliamentary Committee Slams Centre Over Scholarship Approval Delay
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Last Updated: August 12, 2025, 19:59 IST
The committee recommended reconsidering the decision to discontinue the educational schemes for minority communities.(Representative Image/File)
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment has criticized the Ministry of Minority Affairs for not obtaining approval for crucial scholarship schemes aimed at minority students, reported PTI.
In its Eleventh Report on action taken concerning the ministry's 2024-25 demands for grants, presented in Parliament on Monday, the panel observed that the Pre-Matric, Post-Matric, and Merit-cum-Means scholarships have been on hold since 2022-23, awaiting 'harmonisation" with similar schemes from other ministries.
The delay has denied economically weaker students essential support.
'The Committee strongly believe that the education of the students must have suffered due to non-availability of financial assistance to them. The students should not be made to suffer for no fault, concrete steps need to be taken to complete the process in a time-bound manner," it stated, emphasising that the ministry must align the benefits with those available to other marginalized groups.
The committee's original report found that several schemes, such as the National Fellowship, National Overseas Scholarship, Free Coaching, and Residential Education, are being implemented smoothly by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. However, these schemes have been discontinued by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
The report pointed out that without these schemes, the Ministry of Minority Affairs is hindering needy and deserving students from minority communities from pursuing higher education.
The committee recommended reconsidering the decision to discontinue the educational schemes for minority communities.
Regarding livelihood support, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the ministry's vague response on the rollout of the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme, which was formed by merging five earlier programmes.
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No expenditure was made under the scheme in 2023-24, and the committee stressed that the ministry must fully utilise the 2024-25 budget before the 15th Finance Commission cycle ends in 2025-26.
Despite most states adopting the Public Financial Management System and Single Nodal Agency rules, delays in project approvals and execution under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram persist, the report noted. Education and Careers Desk
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