Lok Sabha Question No. 263 (STARRED), answered on 2025-12-18
Subject: Scholarships for Tribal Students Aspiring to Study Abroad
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Joyanta Basumatary

MINISTER OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI JUAL ORAM)

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

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 263

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2025

## SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TRIBAL STUDENTS ASPIRING TO STUDY ABROAD

## *263. Shri Joyanta Basumatary:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state: -

- (a) the details regarding the financial assistance schemes and scholarships available for tribal students in the country aspiring to study abroad;
- (b) the details regarding the funds allocated, disbursed and pending under each scheme;
- (c) the details regarding the number of beneficiaries under each scheme, State-wise and year- wise since 2015;
- (d) whether any such scheme or scholarship has been stopped or reduced its extent of benefits since 2015, if so, the details thereof including the extent of reduction in the benefits and the reasons therefor; and
- (e) whether any payment of such financial assistance or scholarship is pending to any student, if so, the details thereof including the name of the scheme, amount pending and the number of unpaid beneficiaries, State-wise and the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION  NO.  263  FOR  18.12.2025  ASKED  BY  SHRI  JOYANTA  BASUMATARY,  HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TRIBAL STUDENTS ASPIRING TO STUDY ABROAD

(a) The Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements one Central Sector scholarship scheme namely National Overseas Scholarship (NOS)  to provide financial assistance to twenty (20) eligible Scheduled Tribe students for pursuing higher studies abroad, for Master's, Ph.D., and Post-Doctoral courses. Eligible candidates whose annual parental income is less than Rs 6 lakhs are provided with financial assistance which covers fees of the institute, Visa fees, annual maintenance allowance, medical insurance, air passage grant on actual basis from India to the nearest place to the educational institution and back to India by economy class etc. The detailed scheme guidelines are available at https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/guidelines/NOS/RevisedGuidelinesNOS07102022.pdf

(b) The details regarding the Budget allocation and expenditure disbursement under the NOS scheme is tabulated below: -

| Total funds allocated and disbursed under NOS during last 10 years   | Total funds allocated and disbursed under NOS during last 10 years   | Total funds allocated and disbursed under NOS during last 10 years   | Total funds allocated and disbursed under NOS during last 10 years   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| (Rs. in crore) S. No.                                                | Year                                                                 | Funds allocated (R.E)                                                | Funds disbursed                                                      |
| 1                                                                    | 2015-16                                                              | 0.72                                                                 | 0.39                                                                 |
| 2                                                                    | 2016-17                                                              | 0.39                                                                 | 0.39                                                                 |
| 3                                                                    | 2017-18                                                              | 1.00                                                                 | 1.00                                                                 |
| 4                                                                    | 2018-19                                                              | 2.00                                                                 | 2.00                                                                 |
| 5                                                                    | 2019-20                                                              | 2.00                                                                 | 2.00                                                                 |
| 6                                                                    | 2020-21                                                              | 4.76                                                                 | 4.76                                                                 |
| 7                                                                    | 2021-22                                                              | 4.95                                                                 | 4.95                                                                 |
| 8                                                                    | 2022-23                                                              | 4.00                                                                 | 4.00                                                                 |
| 9                                                                    | 2023-24                                                              | 7.00                                                                 | 7.00                                                                 |
| 10                                                                   | 2024-25                                                              | 6.00                                                                 | 6.00                                                                 |

- (c) The details regarding the number of beneficiaries under National Overseas Scholarship Scheme for ST students, state-wise and year-wise since 2015 is given at Annexure- I.
- (d) No, Sir. NOS Scheme has neither been stopped nor has any reduction made in its extent of  benefits  since 2015.

(e) Under NOS Scheme, all admissible payments to the awardees and the concerned foreign universities are made directly by the respective Indian Mission/Embassy abroad. After making such payments, the Ministry of External Affairs submits vouchers to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for reimbursement. The Ministry reimburses MEA as per the vouchers received. Hence, no individual payments to beneficiaries remain pending with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Annexure-I Annexure to be referred in respect to the part (c) of the reply of the Lok Sabha Starred Question no. 263 for 18.12.2025 regarding 'Scholarships for Tribal

## Students Aspiring to Study Abroad "

| State Name        | 2015-16   | 2016-17   | 2017-18   | 2018-19   | 2019-20   | 2020-21   | 2021-22   | 2022-23   | 2023-24   | 2024-25   | 2025-26   |
|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Andhra Pradesh    | 2         |           |           |           |           |           | 2         |           | 1         |           | 3         |
| Arunachal Pradesh |           |           |           | 2         |           | 2         |           |           | 2         | 1         | 1         |
| ASSAM             |           | 2         | 2         | 1         | 1         | 2         |           |           |           |           |           |
| Chhattisgarh      | 1         |           | 1         |           |           |           | 1         |           |           | 1         |           |
| Goa               |           |           | 1         |           |           | 1         |           |           |           | 2         |           |
| Gujarat           |           | 1         |           |           |           |           |           | 1         |           |           |           |
| Himachal Pradesh  |           | 1         |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| Jammu and Kashmir | 1         | 1         | 1         | 2         |           | 1         | 1         | 1         |           |           | 1         |
| Jharkhand         |           | 2         |           | 2         |           | 3         | 1         | 1         |           | 1         | 1         |
| Karnataka         | 1         | 1         | 1         |           |           |           |           | 1         |           | 1         | 2         |
| Ladakh            |           |           |           |           | 2         | 1         |           | 1         |           | 1         | 1         |
| Madhya Pradesh    |           |           | 1         |           |           |           |           | 1         |           |           |           |
| Maharashtra       | 1         |           | 1         |           | 3         | 1         |           | 2         | 1         | 1         | 1         |
| Manipur           | 2         | 2         | 4         | 3         | 5         | 5         | 5         | 5         | 4         | 6         | 6         |
| Meghalaya         | 1         |           |           |           | 2         |           | 1         |           | 2         |           | 1         |
| Mizoram           |           | 2         | 1         | 2         |           |           | 2         |           | 1         | 2         | 2         |
| Nagaland          | 1         | 2         | 1         | 1         |           |           | 2         |           | 1         | 3         |           |
| Odisha            | 1         |           | 1         | 1         | 1         |           |           | 1         |           |           | 1         |
| Rajasthan         | 1         |           | 2         | 2         |           |           | 1         |           | 1         |           | 1         |
| Sikkim            |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           | 1         |
| Tamil Nadu        |           | 1         |           |           |           |           |           |           | 1         |           |           |
| Telangana         | 3         | 1         | 2         | 2         | 3         | 3         | 1         | 3         | 6         | 4         |           |
| Tripura           |           |           |           | 1         | 1         | 1         | 0         |           |           |           |           |
| Uttarakhand       |           |           |           |           | 1         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| West Bengal       |           |           | 1         | 1         | 1         |           |           | 1         |           |           |           |
| Total             | 15        | 16        | 20        | 20        | 20        | 20        | 17        | 18        | 20        | 23*       | 22**      |