Centre seeking nod to resume scholarships for students from minority communities: Kiren Rijiju

The Union government is in the process of seeking approval of the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) to restore scholarship for minority communities, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (December 3, 2025).

The Minister was responding to a question asked by Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP Amra Ram. Mr. Ram had asked the government for the year from which the scholarship for the students belonging to minority communities was discontinued along with the reasons for the same. He also sought details whether the government proposed to restore it from this year; and if so, by when.

The Minister in a written response stated that the Ministry of Minority Affairs had implemented pre-matric, post-matric, merit-cum-means based scholarship schemes for students from the six notified religious minority communities.

“Considering the alleged embezzlement of funds under the scholarship schemes, the Ministry, on the basis of red flags generated by National Scholarships Portal, requested investigating agency and States/UTs for verification of suspicious institutions and to take punitive action against the defaulters. The schemes as such have not been approved for implementation beyond 2021-22,” the Minister said.

He added that Ministry is in the process of seeking EFC approval on the scholarship schemes for 16th Finance Commission cycle which begin from April 01, 2026.