CFI demands extension of deadline for scholarships

Members of the Campus Front of India (CFI) Dakshina Kannada district unit have urged the Central government to extend the deadline for scholarships given to students.

They also staged a protest outside the district minority welfare office at Lalbagh on Tuesday. Prior to the protest, they took out a procession from PVS till the minority welfare office, shouting slogans against the Central government.

“There are only five days left and many applicants have not been able to submit their applications due to technical problems in the server. Also, the applications are being uploaded on the dummy website and not on the original website,” they complained.

The activists also complained that the centralisation of the application process through the National Scholarship Portal by the Central government has given rise to several problems.

“The server has slowed down, and the aspirants are unable to complete the process of application. Also, most of the students in rural areas do not have access to the internet and hence, there are fewer applicants from the villages. Last year, nearly one crore applications had been submitted. This time, however, the number is only 4.5 lakh. The government is requested to hand over the management of the distribution of the minority scholarships to the State government, as it was earlier. Also, the application process should be made offline,” they demanded.

Problem of fees

CFI state vice-president Mohammad Tapsir said that the Central government is depriving lakhs of students belonging to the minority communities from availing the benefits of scholarships. Many students will be unable to pay the fees for the next semester if they do not get the scholarship, he added.

The protesters, after the stir, picketed the district minority welfare office. The police intervened and told the protesters that no permission had been availed for office-picketing and that the protesters could not do so.

The district minority welfare officer in-charge Usman A too tried to convince the protesters, who, in turn, urged legislator J R Lobo – who is also the chairperson of the State Legislative Assembly Committee on Backward Classes and Minorities – to arrive on the spot and speak to them.

Lobo, who arrived at the spot, said that all possible efforts will be made to extend the deadline for the submission of scholarships. He would speak to the authorities concerned in the government about the matter.

“A request will be submitted to the Central government towards the same,” he assured, also promising to discuss the issue at the meeting of the Minority Welfare Department officials.