A sharp decline in minority scholarship beneficiaries in Punjab and Haryana

Punjab: The budget allocated ₹3,183.24 crore for scholarships for minority students, while the expenditure for 2024-25 was ₹1,396.01 crore. This indicates that access to such financial assistance is shrinking and the government has failed to utilize the funds allocated over the years. In a recent reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that while the budget allocated ₹5,029.00 crore for scholarships for minority students, the actual expenditure in 2020-21 had declined to ₹3,998.56 crore. The reply stated, “In 2022-23, against a budgetary allocation of ₹5,020.50 crore, actual expenditure fell sharply to just ₹837.68 crore. In 2023-24, against a budgetary allocation of ₹3,097.60 crore, actual expenditure was only ₹1,032.65 crore. In 2024-25, despite a budgetary allocation of ₹3,183.24 crore, actual expenditure was ₹1,396.01 crore.”
The minister’s reply also stated that scholarship schemes specifically designed for minority students have not been approved for implementation beyond 2021-2022, and funds have subsequently been disbursed only for “committed liabilities.” Data on record shows that the number of scholarships sanctioned by states has declined sharply after 2021-22. For example, under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme, Uttar Pradesh had over 8.4 lakh beneficiaries in 2021-2022, which dropped to just 40,303 in 2022-2023. In Haryana, it dropped from 25,011 in 2021-22 to 994 in 2022-23. In Punjab, it dropped from around 50,000 in 2021-22 to around 15,000 in 2022-23. Rijiju also said that the Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship for girls has been subsumed into another scheme, and the Pre-Matric Scholarship has been limited to classes IX and X from 2022-23, on the grounds that elementary education falls under the Right to Education framework. Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, who had asked the ministry to provide details of existing scholarship schemes for minority students at all stages of education, said the government’s response revealed a serious and persistent gap between the ministry’s budget allocation and actual expenditure. He added, “While Parliament allocated substantial funds, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has failed to utilize them effectively. This persistent underutilization raises serious concerns about administrative efficiency, program design, and policy prioritization within the ministry. Therefore, the issue is not just about allocation, but about the government’s ability and willingness to effectively implement the schemes so that those who are intended to benefit actually receive them.”