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Panel Flags Scholarship Delays, OBC Target Cut, SC Shortfalls
A parliamentary committee examined scholarships for students from Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Class communities.
It said students often receive money after the school year when they needed it.
The delay happens because applications must be checked and processed by states and Union Territories.
The committee said the government should make sure this work is finished on time.
It also objected to lowering the planned number of OBC scholarship recipients to 34 lakh for 2026-27.
The committee said targets should rise instead of falling when earlier targets are missed.
For SC students, the committee said only 36.07 lakh had been recorded against an earlier target of 76.55 lakh as of March 2026.
The government later said 47.53 lakh SC students had received the Centre’s share by March 31, 2026, and blamed delays partly on state funding and verification.
The committee also asked for more money if proposed scheme changes increase the number of beneficiaries.
A parliamentary committee said scholarships are often disbursed in the academic year after they are intended.
It blamed prolonged State and Union Territory verification and other processing formalities for the delays.
The panel questioned reducing the 2026-27 OBC beneficiary target to 34 lakh after earlier targets were missed.
The Department reported that Rs 1,138.88 crore of the Rs 1,250 crore 2025-26 allocation had been released.
The panel called SC scholarship coverage poor, while the government cited later coverage of 47.53 lakh beneficiaries by March 31, 2026.
- Who
- The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, and State and Union Territory governments.
- What
- The committee flagged delayed scholarship disbursal, questioned the reduced OBC beneficiary target, and raised concerns about SC scholarship coverage and funding.
- Where
- Through scholarship systems operated by States and Union Territories, including the National Scholarship Portal.
- When
- The concerns were reported in the committee’s 21st Report; figures cited include 2025-26 and the planned 2026-27 academic year.
- Why
- The committee said delays, missed targets, verification problems, and inadequate projected funding could prevent students from receiving assistance when needed.
Parliamentary Committee
Department and Government Response
Scholarship delays
Parliamentary Committee
The committee said the Department had offered another routine explanation and left students at the mercy of States and Union Territories. It called for strict measures to complete processing within the prescribed timeframe.
Department and Government Response
The Department said State and Union Territory portals generally open between July and September, while the National Scholarship Portal opens in June for eligible onboarded jurisdictions. It said completing the process by the end of the third quarter could reduce spillovers.
OBC beneficiary target
Parliamentary Committee
The committee said reducing the 2026-27 target after the 2024-25 target was missed was unacceptable, especially because beneficiary details for 2025-26 were not available. It said targets should increase each year.
Department and Government Response
The Department reported a 2026-27 physical target of 33.24 lakh beneficiaries and said scheme guidelines and continuation arrangements were under review for the new financial cycle.
SC scholarship shortfall
Parliamentary Committee
The committee described 36.07 lakh beneficiaries against an earlier target of 76.55 lakh as very poor and questioned how higher SC higher-education enrolment could be achieved while expenditure and coverage declined.
Department and Government Response
The government later said 47.53 lakh SC beneficiaries had been covered by March 31, 2026. It said the 76.58 lakh figure was an earlier projection and attributed the gap to non-release of State shares, verification delays, and other procedures.
Future funding
Parliamentary Committee
The committee said proposed changes to income ceilings and scholarship rates could significantly increase beneficiaries and that existing allocations might be insufficient. It requested higher funding at the Revised Estimates stage.
Department and Government Response
The Department submitted proposals for scheme changes and proposed a total outlay of Rs 20,142.23 crore for OBC, EBC and DNT post-matric scholarships from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
Key facts
- Report
- 21st Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment
- OBC target for 2026-27
- The committee cited a reduced target of 34 lakh beneficiaries; the Department gave a physical target of 33.24 lakh.
- 2025-26 OBC allocation
- Rs 1,138.88 crore released out of a Rs 1,250 crore Budget Estimate, or more than 91%.
- SC beneficiaries recorded
- 36.07 lakh in 2025-26 as of March 2026, compared with 48.04 lakh in 2024-25 and 47.38 lakh in 2023-24.
- Later government SC figure
- The government said 47.53 lakh SC beneficiaries had been covered by March 31, 2026.
- Proposed five-year OBC, EBC and DNT outlay
- Rs 20,142.23 crore for 2026-27 through 2030-31.
- Expected timing change
- Revised guidelines are expected to require scholarship disbursal within the first four to five months of the academic year from 2026-27.
Quotes
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment
Parliamentary panel examining the functioning of social justice and empowerment schemes
“The Committee are disheartened with the reply as they had expected the Department to find some solution to the persisting problem but the students have again been left at the mercy of the States”
NDTV
“The Committee are of the opinion that the target fixed should increase every year so that the revised estimates also Increase consequently,”
NDTV
Sources
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