Parliament panel slams Minority Affairs for delay in scholarship approvals

New Delhi: The union ministry of minority affairs has told a Parliamentary panel that it had surrendered Rs 2064.95 crore out of Rs 3094.60 crore earmarked for scholarships for minority students since the schemes were not further approved for implementation. The schemes, for pre-Matric, Post Matric and Metric students, were designed for the economic empowerment of students belonging to six centrally notified minority communities. 

The ministry of minority affairs, in its Action Taken Report for the 2024-2025 Demands for Grants, has said that as these schemes are yet to be approved for implementation beyond 2021-22, neither any target is fixed nor could the scheme be implemented from 2022-23 onwards. “This Ministry endeavours to get these schemes approved for implementation beyond 2021- 22 after harmonization with similar schemes of other Central Ministries, with approval of the Competent Authority in the Government at the earliest,” it said.  

The panel had pulled up the minister after it noted that it surrendered Rs 2,064.95 crore out of Budgetary Allocation of Rs 3,094.60 crore in 2023-24. The Committee also said that the responsibility of implementation of the Schemes lies with the states and UTs, and they should timely complete all the procedural formalities. 

The panel, in its original Demand For Grants report, said that the ministry has discontinued several schemes such as National Fellowship, National Overseas Scholarship, Free Coaching, Residential Education, which are being implemented without any interruption in other central ministries such as Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and Ministry of Tribal Affairs. “In the absence of these schemes, the Ministry of Minority Affairs is depriving needy and deserving students of Minority communities from pursuing higher education,” the ministry has noted. 

Despite the panel’s recommendations, it further found that the ministry has taken no action. “The Committee firmly believe that deprived sections of the society from across the communities deserve to pursue higher education, hence, members of the Minority Community should avail the same benefits as being provided to other marginalised sections of the society by the other Central Ministry/Departments. The Committee reiterates their earlier recommendation and desire that the Ministry of Minority Affairs should take affirmative action in this regard,” it noted.