‘No plan to scrap post-matric scholarship for ST/SC students': Centre
In a written response in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said the objective of the scheme is to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of SC and ST students in higher education and that there is no plan to scrap the scheme.
Both schemes are currently being implemented with funding and eligibility parameters approved by the Cabinet and Expenditure Finance Committee, which remain valid from financial year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
The Centre-State funding patterns differ for SC and ST students.
For SC students, the cost-sharing ratio is 60:40 between the Centre and the states, except for the North-Eastern states, where it is 90:10.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment releases the central share directly to students' Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts via the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), but only after the state has disbursed its 40 per cent share.
For ST students, the fund-sharing ratio stands at 75:25 between the Centre and the states.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs releases 75 per cent of the amount to state governments or Union Territories, which then contribute the remaining 25 per cent and transfer the full amount to students via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in a single instalment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
28 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Uncertainty looms over the resumption of NREGS in Bengal as the Centre is yet to clear the labour budget
With the August 1 deadline set by the Calcutta High Court for restarting Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MG-NREGS) in West Bengal already passed, the job program's resumption remains uncertain as the Centre is yet to clear the state's labour budget for financial year 2025–26, The Indian Express has learnt. According to sources, the West Bengal government had written to the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), seeking approval to its labour budget. However, the same has not been done so far, said a source. The labour budget refers to anticipated demand for unskilled manual work for execution of a shelf of work identified to be taken up during a financial year. The labour budget is approved by the Empowered Committee headed by the Union Rural Development Secretary. The states can generate their demands for funds using NREGASoft, the Management Information System (MIS) of the MG-NREGS, only after this committee clears their labour budget proposals. Under the NREGS, the MoRD releases funds to states 'based on agreed labour budget'. Generally, the states' labour budget proposals are approved by the MoRD by the end of January before the beginning of each financial year (April-March). In Bengal's case, no labour budget has been approved post financial year 2021-22 after the Centre suspended implementation of the scheme in the state. By invoking Section 27 of the MGNREGA, 2005, the Centre had stopped release of funds to West Bengal with effect from March 9, 2022, 'due to non-compliance of directives of Central Government'. Since then, no work under the NREGS has taken place in the state. In an order on 18th June 2025, the Calcutta High Court had directed that the 'scheme be implemented prospectively with effect from 1st August 2025'. However, the West Bengal officials say that they have not received any intimation from the Centre about resumption of the scheme in the state. They have also been urging the MoRD for approval of the labour budget but the same has not happened either, said an official. The MoRD officials have kept mum so far on the issue of Bengal. When asked whether the ministry has challenged the June 18 Calcutta High Court order, the concerned officials at the MoRD did not respond. However, sources say that the Centre has not yet challenged the order. On July 22, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had told Lok Sabha that the order of the High Court is 'being studied in the Ministry to decide further course of action'. In January this year, West Bengal's Rural Development Minister Pradip K Mazumdar wrote a letter to Chouhan, seeking an appointment for a meeting, which has not happened so far. Earlier, multiple meetings between the Centre and West Bengal government officials have taken place but the issue has not been resolved till date. Before the Centre suspended the MG-NREGS in March 2022, West Bengal figured among the top performers with 51-80 lakh families in the state availing the scheme annually between 2014-15 and 2021-22. The data available on the NREGS portal shows that the number of households working through the rural job guarantee scheme stood at 51 lakh in 2014-15, 61 lakh in 2015-16, 58 lakh in 2016-17, 52 lakh in 2017-18, 43.89 lakh in 2018-19, 54.57 lakh in 2019-20, 79.64 lakh in 2020-21, and 75.97 lakh in 2021-22. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
28 minutes ago
- Business Standard
EC's neutrality questionable, Opposition wants discussion: Gaurav Gogoi
Senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday alleged that the neutrality of the Election Commission is questionable, which is why the opposition parties want a discussion on the revision of the voter list in Parliament. Speaking to reporters before the start of the Extended Executive Meeting of the Assam unit of the Congress here, Gogoi, who is also the deputy leader of the party in Lok Sabha, questioned the BJP-led central government's decision not to allow a discussion on the EC even though the Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by it. "Today, there is a question mark in the minds of the people regarding the neutrality of the EC. That is why we want a discussion in Parliament. The government is trying to hide something. What is it? Is it their manipulation in the last assembly polls and Lok Sabha election?" the Assam Congress chief asked. Gogoi said the Opposition wants an open discussion in Parliament regarding the voter list, which is being revised in Bihar. "The common people should know the status of their voting rights and details of polling stations. We want a discussion on this, but the government is saying they cannot discuss the matter. "Their logic is that the Election Commission is not related to any department. This is an absurd logic because the Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the PM and government," he added. Gogoi also claimed that there have been instances of electors visiting a polling station during voting, coming to know that their names are missing from the list. Speaking about Operation Sindoor, the Congress MP said, "The Union Home Minister did not even give minimum respect to the deceased of the Pahalgam terror attack. People died because of intelligence failure of the agencies under his ministry, but they did not apologise to the people. That's their nature." The Extended Executive Meeting of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee began here on Sunday morning. All party MPs, MLAs and senior leaders of the state unit participated in it. In the meeting, the strategy for the upcoming assembly elections in the state will be discussed threadbare, an official said. Assembly elections in Assam for 126 seats are likely in March-April next year. "The meeting will adopt two resolutions. One will be political and the other will be economic. These will be prepared keeping in mind the upcoming assembly polls," the party official said.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
No e-Sewa Kendras in Andhra courts: Union MoS Arjun Ram Meghwal
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh remains the only State in the country that has not implemented the Centre's flagship e-Sewa Kendras initiative under the e-Courts Mission Mode Phase-III project in any court complex, including the High Court at Amaravati. This was revealed by Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal in response to a query raised by Lok Sabha MP Arun Bharti. According to the Minister's reply, all 24 other States selected under the project have operationalised e-Sewa Kendras effectively across High Courts and district courts. A total of 41 such Kendras are currently functioning in various HCs, with several courts having more than one centre, and 1,773 Kendras are active in district courts nationwide. However, no reason was cited for AP's non-participation.
