A parliamentary committee has recommended that the government ensure timely disbursement of post-matric scholarships within the same academic year, saying that delays in disbursement have denied students an opportunity to benefit from the scheme.
The parliamentary committee on social justice and empowerment has recommended that the government review the guidelines on scholarships and ensure timely disbursement. This was stated in a report that was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. According to a PTI report, the committee, led by PC Mohan, recommended that scholarships be distributed within the first four or five months of the academic year so that students can benefit from the scholarships when they need them.
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The committee, in its report, stated that it has made similar recommendations in the past, but delays in the disbursement of scholarships have remained an issue.
Panel flags unused education funds
The committee has also observed that a substantial amount of funds that were sanctioned for the 2024-25 financial year was returned by the department, and there was an issue of underutilisation of budgetary allocation.
The committee has recommended that there should be full utilisation of funds that have been sanctioned for educational schemes, particularly those students who are from socially and economically disadvantaged sections. It has also examined some schemes related to welfare.
Recommendations on coaching schemes and village development
In examining the Free Coaching Scheme for SCs/OBCs, it was noted that while the income limit for families is ₹8 lakhs annually for eligibility under the scheme, there is no income limit for those receiving assistance from the PM-CARES Fund. The committee recommended that the income limit under the coaching scheme be enhanced to allow more students from SC/OBC communities to avail themselves of the facility.
The committee also looked at the progress of the Adarsh Gram initiative, which aims to develop villages that are identified for development. Of 47,537 villages that have been identified for development under the initiative, only 13,947 villages have been declared as Adarsh Gram by state governments from 2023-24 onwards.
The committee has recommended that hurdles to the scheme be removed to ensure that villages are developed as planned within the next one to two years.
Concerns over tribal and minority welfare schemes
The committee also reviewed initiatives related to tribal welfare. It noted that 377 Eklavya Model Residential Schools are currently operating from their own buildings out of 723 schools sanctioned since 2018–19. The panel recommended that the remaining schools be completed within the scheduled construction timelines.
In addition, it urged the government to ensure that pending work under PM-JANMAN is completed within the extended deadline of March 31, 2027.
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The committee also recommended increasing the income ceiling under the National Overseas Scheme for ST students so that more tribal students can benefit from higher education opportunities abroad.
On minority welfare, the panel noted that students have been unable to access pre-matric and post-matric scholarship schemes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs since the 2022–23 academic year due to irregularities reported in some states. It recommended examining the possibility of implementing the scheme in states where irregularities were minimal and conducting a study to assess the reasons behind the disruption and its impact on minority students.
