Disbursal of post-matric scholarships for students from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category is reportedly getting delayed in Kerala in the wake of the changes introduced in its eligibility criteria.
According to functionaries of the Ambedkar Progressive Democratic Forum, the revised scholarship scheme was launched by the Union government in March 2021. The Kerala government notified the changes in January 2023.
Shaju V. Joseph, general secretary of the forum, points out that only those whose annual family income is up to ₹2.5 lakh are eligible for the scholarship now. “The principle of creamy layer has been made applicable to the educational assistance for the SCs. If this is going to be rigorously applied, a vast majority of students belonging to the category aspiring for higher education will be out of the ambit of e-grants or scholarships,” Mr. Joseph claims.
