6 months on, Maha’s state scholarships yet not paid out to students

Parents in Maharashtra are frustrated as promised scholarship funds for their children remain unpaid despite completing all formalities since June.

Mumbai: Parents across the state continue to complain that their children have not received the scholarship amount from the state’s primary and secondary school scholarships even after the results were announced in June this year. Many say they have completed all formalities and followed up repeatedly, yet the money has not been credited to their bank accounts.

6 months on, Maha’s state scholarships yet not paid out to students

For years, the scholarship examination was conducted for students of Classes 4 and 7, but in 2016, the pattern was changed, shifting the exam to Classes 5 and 8. The state government has now decided to reverse this change and restore the exam to Classes 4 and 7 from the current academic year. Officials say the move is intended to ensure that students in Zilla Parishad schools, many of which operate only up to Class 4 or Class 7, are not excluded. Once the revised system is implemented, over 16,000 meritorious students are expected to receive scholarships.

Last year, the state government increased the scholarship amount to ₹5,000 for Class 5 students and ₹8,000 for Class 8 students. Earlier, Class 5 students would get a ₹750 scholarship, and Class 8 would get ₹900 scholarships. However, many parents say that despite their children being selected, the amount has not been deposited.

Mandar Kambale, a parent from Mumbai, said, “My son received the Maharashtra State Scholarship in Class 5. Despite the school following up with us regarding this, we have not received the scholarship amount till date. The question is what will happen to the students if this amount is not being received or if it is being used for other purposes or if someone else is benefiting from it.”

Another parent, Sangeeta Ombale, whose daughter is in Class 5, raised a similar concern. “We opened a bank account in a nationalised bank as per the instructions, submitted all documents to the school, and are still waiting for the scholarship amount,” she said.

A State Examination Council officer said the council’s role is limited to collecting account details and forwarding applications. The actual disbursement, he said, is handled by the scheme office. He added that account numbers of around 1,000 to 2,000 students are still pending verification, and letters have been sent to district bank CEOs, with follow-ups being conducted through Block Education Officers.

Director of education (planning) Krishnakumar Patil said there may be “some technical difficulties” preventing the transfer of the amounts. “A definite effort will be made to resolve them and pay the amount. It would not be appropriate to comment further on the cases of non-receipt without first seeing them firsthand,” he said.