Minority students face uncertainty as scholarship funds remain unreleased

These students report receiving responses such as “funds not available” despite repeated follow-ups, leading to mounting anxiety over their studies abroad

Around 75 minority students from Maharashtra pursuing higher education abroad are facing severe financial stress due to delays in the disbursal of scholarship funds by the state government. Despite approvals for their scholarships under the minority development department’s foreign scholarship scheme for the academic year 2025-26, the funds have not yet been released, leaving students struggling to pay tuition fees and other essential expenses.

As regards the 2025-26 batch, 25 students who enrolled between January and March 2026 are still awaiting payments for tuition, living allowances, health insurance, and other necessary expenses. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

These students report receiving responses such as “funds not available” despite repeated follow-ups, leading to mounting anxiety over their studies abroad.

As per a recent letter from the social welfare commissioner, Pune (signed by Pramod Jadhav) on March 20, only 28 of the total students selected for the 2024-25 renewal scholarships have received their first-semester payments while the second instalment remains unpaid. As regards the 2025-26 batch, 25 students who enrolled between January and March 2026 are still awaiting payments for tuition, living allowances, health insurance, and other necessary expenses.

The letter further states that these students require total estimated funds of approximately ₹49.75 crore while only a fraction namely ₹14 crore has been made available through the state’s budget distribution system (BDS). Furthermore, ₹9.79 crore out of this ₹14 crore has already been spent, leaving ₹4.21 crore pending. The social welfare commissioner has requested urgent allocation of the remaining funds to ensure timely scholarship payments.

A student studying in the UK said, “We are constantly under pressure from our universities abroad to pay fees, but the scholarship money we were promised has not come through. This delay is threatening our education and future.”

Another student said, “Our university has sent urgent emails warning us to pay the fees immediately. They clearly stated that if the payment is not made on time, we will not be allowed to write exams, view results, or enrol in the next semester. This puts our entire education at risk. The government must take immediate action to release the funds and provide relief to students.”

Undersecretary Meghana Shinde of the minority development department told Hindustan Times, “The scholarship disbursement process is underway. Students need not worry as second instalment payments will be made in the coming days.”

Akshay Jain, Maharashtra Youth Congress media chief, criticised the government for mismanagement of funds. “On one hand, the government spends crores on unnecessary projects, and on the other, students shaping the future of the state are told ‘funds not available’. This is not just negligence; it is playing with the future of students. The pending scholarships must be disbursed immediately, and officials responsible for the delay should be held accountable,” he said.

The delayed disbursement has implications beyond hardships for students. Jain says it tarnishes Maharashtra’s reputation on an international level, as students sent abroad on government scholarships struggle to meet financial commitments.