Lok Sabha Question No. 17 (STARRED), answered on 2023-07-20
Subject: Education Loan Subsidy for Minorities
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Achyutananda Samanta

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO.*17 ANSWERED ON 20.07.2023

## EDUCATION LOAN SUBSIDY FOR MINORITIES

## *17. SHRI ACHYUTANANDA SAMANTA:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  number  of  minority  students  benefited  under  education  loan  subsidy  for  overseas studies during the last five years, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to withdraw the education loan subsidy for minority students for overseas studies; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons there for?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

***

## STATEMENT  AS  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  LOK  SABHA  STARRED QUESTION *17 FOR ANSWER ON 20.07.2023 REGARDING 'EDUCATION LOAN SUBSIDY FOR MINORITIES :

(a)  The  Government  has  implemented  various  schemes  for  the  welfare  and  upliftment  of every strata, including minorities, especially the economically weaker and lesser privileged sections of the society, through various schemes of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry  of Textiles, Ministry  of  Culture,  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  and  Ministry  of  Rural Development.

Ministry of Minority Affairs has specifically implemented various schemes, including PreMatric,  Post  Matric  and  Merit-cum-Means  Scholarship  schemes,  across  the  country  for socio-economic and educational empowerment of the six notified minority communities. The number  of  minority  students  benefited  under  education  loan  subsidy  for  overseas  studies during the last five years, are at Annexure.

(b)  &  (c)  The  National  Minorities  Development  &  Finance  Corporation  (NMDFC),  a PSU under Ministry of Minority Affairs, provides educational loan for education abroad, at low rate of interest, exclusively to students belonging to minority communities. It has also been observed that benefits of interest subsidy that got accrued to the beneficiaries under the Padho Pardesh  scheme  were  limited  and  also  that  there  is  an  overlap  with  other  similar  schemes being implemented by other Ministries viz. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Ministry Of Tribal Affairs, which are applicable to eligible minority community students as well. In view of the aforesaid overlap, limited benefits and ease of availing education loans on low rate of interest, it has been decided to discontinue Padho Pardesh Scheme from 2022-23 onward.

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 17 FOR 20.07.2023 REGARDING 'EDUCATION LOAN SUBSIDY FOR MINORITIES

State/UT-wise number of beneficiaries under Padho Pardesh Scheme

| S. No.   | State/ UT        |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |   2021-22 |
|----------|------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh   |        74 |        75 |        72 |        91 |        81 |
| 2        | Assam            |         7 |         7 |         5 |         6 |         1 |
| 3        | Bihar            |         2 |         8 |        12 |        11 |         8 |
| 4        | Chandigarh       |         4 |         5 |         4 |         3 |         2 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh     |        11 |        11 |         6 |         3 |         1 |
| 6        | Daman& Diu       |         0 |         1 |         2 |         0 |         0 |
| 7        | Delhi            |         7 |        12 |        20 |        19 |        13 |
| 8        | Goa              |         8 |        14 |        15 |        13 |         4 |
| 9        | Gujarat          |        91 |       120 |       129 |       103 |        82 |
| 10       | Haryana          |        13 |        17 |        15 |        14 |        12 |
| 11       | Himachal Pradesh |         2 |         2 |         3 |         1 |         0 |
| 12       | Jammu & Kashmir  |        28 |        72 |        80 |       132 |       202 |
| 13       | Jharkhand        |         0 |         3 |         8 |         8 |         6 |
| 14       | Karnataka        |       129 |       211 |       289 |       275 |       229 |
| 15       | Kerala           |       715 |      1138 |      1734 |      2236 |      3359 |
| 16       | Madhya Pradesh   |        74 |       101 |       106 |        82 |        51 |
| 17       | Maharashtra      |       250 |       297 |       322 |       300 |       265 |
| 18       | Meghalaya        |         1 |         2 |         1 |         0 |         0 |
| 19       | Mizoram          |         0 |         2 |         1 |         0 |         0 |
| 20       | Odisha           |         2 |         5 |         7 |         4 |         5 |
| 21       | Puducherry       |         1 |         5 |        11 |        12 |         9 |
| 22       | Punjab           |        58 |        81 |        82 |        59 |        74 |
| 23       | Rajasthan        |        25 |        37 |        32 |        27 |        24 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu       |       108 |       147 |       155 |       133 |       108 |
| 25       | Telangana        |        57 |        79 |        72 |        63 |        53 |
| 26       | Uttar Pradesh    |        33 |        31 |        36 |        30 |        15 |
| 27       | Uttrakhand       |         5 |         5 |         4 |        12 |         7 |
| 28       | West Bengal      |         6 |         7 |        15 |        19 |        11 |
|          | Total            |      1711 |      2495 |      3238 |      3656 |      4622 |

Source of Data: Canara Bank