Karnataka CM Bommai's pet Raitha Vidya Nidhi scheme faces data challenge

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai wants his pet Raitha Vidya Nidhi scholarship scheme to cover anywhere between two and six lakh children of landless agricultural labourers, but authorities are struggling to identify them in the absence of proper data.

The scheme, a flagship welfare measure of the Bommai administration, has already covered 10.19 lakh children of farmers at a cost of Rs 464.15 crore. Bommai had announced that the scheme will be extended to children of agricultural labourers.

Under Vidya Nidhi, agriculturists’ children studying in high school (girls only), PU or ITI, degree, LLB/para medical, BPharm, MBBS, engineering and postgraduation get an annual scholarship ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 11,000.

The government has set aside Rs 360 crore for children of agricultural labourers based on a rough estimate. According to the 2011 Census, Karnataka has 71.55 lakh agricultural labourers. Four in a family would mean 18 lakh agricultural labourer households. Authorities have estimated that one-third of them, or six lakh, will be students.

“We’re also assuming that four lakh students will be already covered under some scholarship scheme. So, we’re looking at two lakh students at least for coverage,” a senior Agriculture department official told DH.

It was easy for the government to find children of farmers under the Raitha Vidya Nidhi scheme. The Farmer Registration and Unified beneficiary Information System (FRUITS) has details of 82 lakh farmers. This was matched with the Education department’s database on 1.18 crore students. As a result, the government paid farmers’ children on an entitlement basis, without them having to apply.

“We’re doing permutation and computation,” the officer said. “We have data on MGNREGA job card holders, who are landless agricultural labourers. We’re matching this with the scholarship database to subtract students who’re getting benefits under other schemes,” the officer explained.

A pilot is underway in Bagalkot, Haveri and Shivamogga where the government is trying to understand how children of agricultural labourers can be identified effectively. “We’re seeing cases where a household won’t have a bank account, or lives in a remote location. One idea is to open a pigmy bank account where scholarship money can be credited for such kids,” the officer explained.

Efforts are underway to get Bommai to launch Vidya Nidhi for children of agricultural labourers in January.