Where is Hemant Soren?: 34 lakh SC/ST/OBC students await scholarships for over 9 months in Jharkhand

In Jharkhand, more than 34 lakh students belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories have been waiting for their pre-matric scholarships for the past nine months. Out of a total of 35 lakh eligible students, only one lakh have received their dues so far, leaving the vast majority of children and their families in financial uncertainty.

The distribution of scholarships follows a structured process. School headmasters prepare lists of eligible students, which are then uploaded to the state’s e-Kalyan portal at the district level. District Welfare Officers scrutinize these applications, ensuring Aadhaar card verification, before transferring the approved amounts directly to the students’ accounts.

Under the pre-matric scholarship scheme, children in classes 1 to 5 receive Rs 1,500 annually, those in classes 6 to 8 are entitled to Rs 2,500, and students in classes 9 and 10 get Rs 4,500 each year.

For students in classes 1 to 8, the state government has allocated Rs 495 crore, while a combined budget of Rs 245 crore—Rs 95 crore from the state and Rs 150 crore from the central government—has been earmarked for students in classes 9 and 10.

The delay stems largely from procedural bottlenecks and technical issues with the e-Kalyan portal. The system, which began operations for the 2022-23 academic year, faced multiple delays in implementation, which affected timely scholarship distribution for the 2023-24 session. The process for the current academic year (2024-25) began only in October, further delaying disbursals.

Ajay Nath Jha, the Tribal Welfare Commissioner, assured that the scholarship amounts would be transferred to all eligible students’ accounts by February 2025. “The government has no shortage of funds to provide scholarships. Necessary preparations are being made to ensure all children receive their dues,” Jha said.

The prolonged delay has had a profound impact on the families of these children, many of whom rely on the scholarship money to support educational expenses. Parents and activists have raised concerns over the state’s inability to streamline the process and prioritize the welfare of economically disadvantaged students.

Despite these assurances, the delays highlight deeper systemic issues in the administration and distribution of welfare schemes in Jharkhand. With February as the latest deadline, it remains to be seen if the state government can restore confidence by ensuring timely disbursal moving forward.