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6 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Centre withholds overseas scholarship for 66 candidates, says clearance subject to fund availability
The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has issued provisional scholarship letters to 40 out of 106 selected candidates for the 2025-'26 National Overseas Scholarship, saying that the remaining 66 will receive theirs 'subject to availability of funds'. In previous years, all selected candidates were issued letters at the same time, the Hindustan Times reported. The National Overseas Scholarship, which began in 1954-'55, supports students from Scheduled Castes, Denotified Nomadic Tribes, semi-nomadic tribes, landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisan communities. The scheme funds master's or PhD degrees at the top 500 global universities as per QS rankings, offering up to $16,920, or nearly Rs 14.5 lakh, annually for a maximum duration of three years for master's programmes and four years for PhD programmes. It provides 125 scholarships annually, capped at 10% per state. The applicants must have a family income under Rs 8 lakh per annum. The QS World University Rankings are a ranking of the world's top universities produced by Quacquarelli Symonds and published annually since 2004. In the Union Budget announced in February, the Centre allocated Rs 130 crore to the National Overseas Scholarship for 2025-'26. This was a 36.84% increase from Rs 95 crore in 2024–'25, the newspaper reported. As of December, the ministry had disbursed Rs 56.29 crore to 80 beneficiaries for the academic year 2024-'25. In a notice dated July 1, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said that it received 440 applications for the 2025-'26 academic year between March and April. It shortlisted 106 candidates for the scholarship, placed 64 on a 'non-selected' list and rejected 270 applicants. The 'non-selected' category included students left out due to the 10% cap per state or other quotas. These candidates may still be considered if those initially selected fail to submit the required documents. The scheme has 125 slots, but the allotments depend on the availability of funds. This means that the rejections are not final and students may still receive the scholarship later, as per the Hindustan Times. An unidentified official from the ministry told the newspaper that the Union government has funds but they cannot be released without clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'It is an issue with the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs not approving the money allocated to these scholarship schemes,' the official was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times. 'We have the money but we also need green signal from above to give it out.' The Maulana Azad National Fellowship, which is open for candidates from Muslim, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian communities, has also seen delays, with more than 1,400 PhD scholars not receiving stipends since January 2025, the Hindustan Times reported. There were also discrepancies with the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes. For the June 2024 cycle, the National Testing Agency first published a selection list of 865 scholars in March 2025. However, it revised the list in April, reducing the selections to 805 and replacing 487 previously chosen candidates with new ones, the newspaper reported.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Govt withholds overseas scholarships due to ‘fund crunch'
The ministry of social justice and empowerment has issued provisional scholarship awards to 40 of the 106 candidates selected for its National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) for the 2025-26 academic year, with a notice saying that letters for the remaining 66 candidates 'may be issued… subject to availability of funds'. The scheme has 125 slots, but the allotment depends on the availability of funds.(Unsplash ) According to the July 1 announcement, the ministry placed 106 candidates on its selected list and 64 on the non-selected list and rejected 270 candidates. '106 candidates have been placed in the Selected list. Out of these, initially, the provisional award letters will be issued to the candidates from serial number 1 to 40,' the ministry said. It received 440 applications for the 2025-26 academic year between March and April. Non-selected means the students have not been considered in the list due to a cap of 10% state and other quotas. These students may be considered in the next list if those selected for provisional scholarships get rejected for failing to provide the required documents. While in previous years, all students in the selected lists received provisional scholarship letters at the same time, this year the ministry has decided to disburse the letters in a phased manner dependent on availability of funds, leaving students in a lurch. Also Read | UP CM Yogi Adityanath assures fee waiver to Class 7 girl, RSS-run school refuses: 'No such provision' 'Provisional award letters to the remaining candidates (from serial number 41 to 106) in the selected list may be issued in due course, subject to availability of funds,' it said. To be sure, the scheme has 125 slots, but the allotment depends on the availability of funds. This means the rejections are not absolute or that the students won't get the scholarships at all. The NOS program, started in 1954-55, provides critical financial support to students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Denotified Nomadic Tribes (DNT), semi-nomadic tribes, landless agricultural labourers, or traditional artisan categories, with a family income under ₹8 lakh per annum. It funds master's or PhD degrees at the top 500 global universities (according to QS rankings), offering up to $16,920 annually for a maximum of three years (master's) or four years (PhD). The scheme nominally provides 125 scholarships annually, capped at 10% per state. The ministry, however, said that the award of scholarships needs approval from the cabinet committee on economic affairs. 'It is an issue with the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs not approving the money allocated to these scholarship schemes. We have the money, but we also need the green signal from above to give it out,' an official of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The uncertainty has come despite a significant increase in the budgetary allocation. Also Read | Best emerging courses for science students in 2025: AI, biotechnology and more In the Budget announced in February this year, the government allocated ₹130 crore to NOS for the FY 2025-26 — a 36.84% rise from the ₹95 crore in 2024-25. By December 19, 2024, the ministry had disbursed ₹56.29 crore to 80 beneficiaries for the current academic year. A Delhi-based candidate, ranked outside the top 40 and holding an offer for an MA in economics from a UK-based university, said: 'Without issuing any communication to students before announcing the results, the ministry said it will issue provisional letters to the top 40 students. I am not among the top 40 and will not be able to get the letter even after they issue letters to the next 40 students on the list. I feel stuck and confused about whether I should apply for other scholarships or wait. Even after being selected for the scholarship, I might not be able to study abroad if I do not have enough funds, which will affect my academic career.' Earlier, a similar disruption was reported in the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) under which over 1,400 PhD scholars have faced stalled stipend payments since January 2025. Similarly, there was confusion over the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes (NFSC) for June 2024, for which the list was published in April 2025. The National Testing Agency initially released a selection list of 865 scholars in March 2025 and issued award letters, only to publish a revised list in April, drastically reducing selections to 805 and removing 487 previously chosen candidates. Also Read | DU panel clears move to drop papers on Pakistan, China, Islam Opposition leaders, including Congress's Rahul Gandhi, have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging resolution for various scholarships, but no government response has been reported. 'Post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities are plagued by delays and failures. While I have cited examples from Bihar, these failures are widespread across the country,' the letter had said. Experts expressed concerns about the situation. 'On one hand, India is emerging as the world's fourth-largest economy; on the other, it lacks sufficient funds to support just 125 scholars from historically marginalised communities in pursuing overseas education. This reflects the current government's approach to investing in the future of Dalit and Tribal scholars—the nation-builders of tomorrow. Instead of expanding opportunities, the government appears to be reducing funds and scholarships, which is deeply concerning. Our students who have admission offer letters from top foreign universities are worried about their future,' Raju Kendre, founder of Eklavya India Foundation which coaches marginalised students for scholarships, said.
