A namesake scholarship for SC,ST students in Bihar

In Bihar, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students have been unable to avail the Centre-sponsored post-matric scholarship for 3 years now.

The scholarship scheme, aimed at financing ST, SC students, has remained ‘namesake’ in the state due to alleged technological snags in the scholarship portal, reported Indian Express quoting officials.

However, the scheme has been aiding SC, ST students in other states like neighbouring Utter Pradesh.

Roughly 5 lakh ST students from Bihar are eligible for this particular scholarship every year, but most SC/ST students have been denied the same for the past 6 years.

The Bihar government’s SC/ST welfare department had capped the fee in 2016, according to the publication. The government had claimed there was a difference in fee structures of private and government colleges in and out of Bihar, hence the state had to ‘rationalise’ the fee, ranging between Rs 2,000 to Rs 90,000 per year, This move had forced many students to quit their studies due to financial constraints.

The scheme has practically been lying unused over the past 3 years due to no new applications coming from aspiring students.

A PIL was filed in the Patna High Court which has been hearing the case. The state government has been asked to submit a report explaining the same.

“Why is such a flagship scheme almost discontinued behind the implausible and inexplicable reason of the National Scholarship Portal not functioning. Does it take three years to set a portal right”, the advocate’s petitioner, Alka Verma, was quoted telling Indian Express.