Lok Sabha Question No. 2188 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-15
Subject: Post Matric Scholarships
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: V. Kalanidhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2188 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.03.2022

## POST MATRIC SCHOLARSHIPS

2188. DR KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY:

Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

- a) the features of the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme;
2. the details of the number of Scheduled Castes students enrolled under the above scheme in Tamil Nadu;
3. the details of the funds sanctioned, allocated and utilized under the above scheme during the last three years and the current year in Tamil Nadu;
4. (d) whether the cases of non receipts of payments to Scheduled Castes students have come to the notice of the Government the last few years; and during
5. (e) if so, the details thereof with the transformatory steps taken by the Government to resolve this issue? along

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI A. NARAYANASWAMY)

- (a): The Post Matric Scholarship Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme for SC students with annual parental   income below Rs. 2.5 lakh: to   appreciably increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio of SC students in higher education by providing financial assistance to the SC students.

The Scholarship includes the following components for the complete duration of the course:

- 1 Compulsory non-refundable fees including tuition fee of the course
- ii. Academic allowance
- iii. Disability allowance (1 0% extra allowance for divyang students)

There is a 60.40 sharing ratio of expenditure between the Centre and States (90:10 in case of North Eastern States) As per the provisions of the Scheme, the entire scholarship amount both from the State and Central Government is directly into the account of the students only through Direct Beneficiaries Transfer (DBT) paid

(b): The numbers of Scheduled Caste students enrolled under this Scheme in Tamil Nadu in the last 3 years and current year, as reported by the State Government, are as follows:

|       | FY      | Enrolled Beneficiaries   |
|-------|---------|--------------------------|
|       | 2018-19 | 761114                   |
| 2.    | 2019-20 | 611434                   |
| 3_    | 2020-21 | 825000                   |
| 4_    | 2021-22 | 719984*                  |
| Total | Total   | 2917532*                 |

- FY2021-22, the number enrolled beneficiaries are as anticipated (as per   State Governments proposal) #For
- There is no system of State-wise allocation of funds under the scheme: The details of the funds sanctioned to the State Govt: of Tamil Nadu under the Scheme, and utilization as reported by the State Government, for the last three years are as follows:

| FY      |   Sanctioned Amount (in Rs.Cr:) |   Utilized Amount(in Rs. Cr:) |
|---------|---------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| 2018-19 |                         1407.38 |                       1407.38 |
| 2019-20 |                          925.84 |                        808.44 |
| 2020-21 |                          120.23 |                        808.44 |

As per the latest scheme guidelines, the disbursal of the Central share of the scholarships has to be made directly into the bank account of the students through DBT, based on verified data of students sent by the State Government on the Central Portal. For FY 2021-22, an amount of Rs. 769.53/cr. has been  approved by the Project Appraisal Committee for disbursal to the students of Tamil Nadu:

- (d) & (e): This being a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented through State Governments, the State  Governments are the primary interaction/grievance redressal points in case of nonreceipt of payments by beneficiaries  Instances of delayed disbursal of scholarships have been reported from some States in the last few years.

The latest   guidelines of the Scheme, effective from March 2021, have made a number of provisions to ensure that the students receive the due scholarships in time. These provisions include, inter alia,  substantial  increase in the Central share of expenditure by changing the funding pattern thus reducing the financial burden On the States; end-to-end online systems for calling   and   processing of   applications; fixed timelines for   opening/closing of portals and disbursal of State and Central shares of scholarships; direct disbursal of the Central share to the students' accounts through DBT, etc\_