Indian Students, Advocacy Groups Raise Alarm Over Scholarship Delays and Hostel Conditions

New Delhi: Indian students and advocacy groups are voicing growing concerns over severe delays and inconsistencies in government scholarship schemes, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities such as Dalits, Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and minority students.

National Overseas Scholarship Crisis

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has come under scrutiny for its handling of the prestigious National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) scheme for the 2025–26 academic year. Of the 106 selected candidates, only 40 have been provisionally awarded scholarships. The remaining 66 recipients face uncertainty, as their awards depend on the “availability of funds.”

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The lack of clarity has sparked anxiety among affected students, many of whom were relying on this financial support to pursue higher studies abroad.

Delays in Post-Matric Scholarships

Post-matric scholarship programs, another lifeline for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, continue to face persistent delays. In Bihar, students reported that the state’s scholarship portal remained non-functional for over three years, resulting in zero disbursements for the 2021–22 academic year. Although the portal was later restored, the number of Dalit students receiving scholarships dropped sharply from 136,000 in FY 2022–23 to just 69,000 the following year.

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Alarming Hostel Conditions

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has called attention to the dire state of hostels for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC, and minority communities. In a recent statement, Gandhi criticized overcrowding, unhygienic conditions, and inadequate infrastructure in these government-run accommodations. He urged the central government to take urgent measures to ensure safe and dignified living conditions for marginalized students.

Protests and Political Reactions

Mounting frustration has led to nationwide student protests. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has been on an extended hunger strike, demanding automatic hostel extensions for PhD students and increased scholarship amounts. Meanwhile, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has staged demonstrations across Kerala, accusing university leadership of ideological bias and calling out what they describe as the “saffronisation” of education.

Rahul Gandhi echoed these demands, pressing the government to address the scholarship backlog and improve educational infrastructure.

These developments highlight systemic weaknesses in the administration of India’s scholarship and student welfare programs. Student leaders and political figures alike are calling for urgent reforms to ensure timely scholarship disbursals, increased funding, and improved hostel facilities.

If left unaddressed, stakeholders warn that these failures could undermine educational access for thousands of students from marginalized backgrounds.