New Delhi: The Union Budget 2025 has slashed major funding to several education schemes and benefits supporting students from minority and tribal communities.
The prestigious schemes that saw a significant cut in the allocation include the National Fellowship and Scholarship for higher education of scheduled tribe (ST) students, the National Overseas Scholarship Scheme, the Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities, the Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities, the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for professional and technical courses, the Maulana Azad National Fellowship for minority students, the Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loan, and the Education Scheme for Madrasas and Minorities.
According to the data, the funds for the National Fellowship and Scholarship have been cut by 99.99% as their allocation dropped from Rs 240 crore in the revised estimates (RE) for 2024 to just Rs 0.02 crore in the budget estimates (BE) for 2025. The National Overseas Scholarship Scheme has seen a reduction of 99.8% from Rs 6 crore in RE 2024 to Rs 0.01 crore in BE 2025.
The Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities will now receive Rs 90 crore as against Rs 326.16 crore in RE 2024, which means a 72.4% decrease in the budget allocation. Similarly, the Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities has been reduced by 69.9%, from Rs 1,145.38 crore in RE 2024 to Rs 343.91 crore in BE 2025.
Another noted scheme, the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship, has seen a 42.6% reduction, as it has been given Rs 19.41 crore in the Budget 2025.
Other allocations that have been reduced include the Maulana Azad National Fellowship for minority students, which has been reduced by 4.9% (from Rs 45.08 crore to Rs 42.84 crore); the Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loan for Overseas Studies, which will receive Rs 8.16 crore as opposed to the previous allocation of Rs 15.30 crore; and the Education Scheme for Madrasas and Minorities, which has been reduced by 99.5% from Rs 2 crore in RE 2024 to just Rs 0.01 crore.
The minority affairs ministry has been facing severe criticism over the inadequate funds and delays in the release. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment also slammed the ministry for delays in approvals.
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