NEW DELHI, AUG 11 (PTI): A parliamentary panel has said it felt “disheartened” over the persistent issue of delay in the disbursal of scholarships that has left students at the mercy of states and batted for strict measures for the completion of the process within the prescribed time period.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, headed by BJP MP P C Mohan, in a report said that students continued to face delays because some states and union territories take months, and in some cases up to a year, to complete verification.
It was the panel’s 21st report on action taken by the government on its recommendations on the ministry’s Demands for Grants for 2026-27.
Observing the delay in the disbursal of scholarships to students, the Committee had recommended that the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment take concrete measures to ensure that scholarships are disbursed within the same academic year in which they fall due, the report said.
The committee noted that the department has again given the routine reply that the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) opens the portal in June for inviting applications from eligible applicants from states/UTs.
In its action taken reply, the ministry said while most states/UTs complete the verification process within the stipulated time frame, some take additional time, which at times varies from a few months to a year in some cases, to finalise the verification process and push the state share paid data to NSP.
“This leads to delays in processing and disbursement of central share,” the department said.
The department said that over the years, most states/UTs have aligned with the prescribed timelines. However, in certain states, the processes of verification, validation and certification continue to take additional time.
It said if all states/UTs align with the advanced timelines of completing the process by the end of the third quarter and adhere to the prescribed schedule, the overall process of application, verification and disbursement can be further streamlined, minimising delays and reducing spill-over cases.
The committee, however, said it had expected the Department to “find some solution to the persisting problem” but was “disheartened with the reply”.
“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,” the panel said in the report.
The committee, therefore, reiterated its earlier recommendation, saying it strongly believes “that unless the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment take some strict measures for the completion of the process within the prescribed time period, the trend of spill-over to next year will continue”.
The committee also noted that beneficiaries of the PM-CARES Children Scheme have been included in the free coaching scheme for SCs and OBCs from 2024-25. It said the target fixed for 2023-24 and 2024-25 could not be achieved even after the inclusion of the PM-CARES Children Scheme.
It said the Rs 8 lakh annual family income ceiling for SC and OBC students “may be one of the major hurdles” preventing candidates from availing the benefits.
“The Committee desire that the family income ceiling should be re-examined so that a large number of candidates can avail the facility and the scheme becomes more effective,” it said.
The committee also questioned the target of 7,000 slots, saying it was double the previous target even though the earlier target was not being achieved.
In its reply, the department said the target of 7,000 slots was proposed to expand the reach of the Free Coaching Scheme and ensure wider coverage of eligible beneficiaries across the country.
It said only 14 central universities are actively imparting coaching, covering limited states, which has affected access and utilisation of slots.
The department said expansion through state universities/DACE (Dr. Ambedkar Centre for Excellence) and introduction of a student-centric mode is proposed to ensure better regional representation, wider choice of coaching courses/institutes and improved utilisation of slots.
Friday, August 14, 2026