NEW DELHI: If the proposal of a central government panel to fix a uniform earning cap of Rs 2.5 lakh a year for being eligible for central scholarships is approved by the government, the immediate gainers will be students from religious minority groups.
However, the bigger change will be in the entitlements, which vary among SCs/STs, OBCs and minorities. While the income ceiling for SCs, STs and OBCs is Rs 2.5 lakh annually, it is Rs 1 lakh for pre-matric scholarship for minorities, which also has the additional criteria that a student should have scored at least 50% marks in the previous exams. The said income bar is Rs 2 lakh plus the 50% marks criteria for post-matric scholarship for minorities.
Sources said the states have been consulted and are on board the proposed changes. The only complication will be with the tribal affairs ministry which will have to tweak its process of disbursing the scholarships. While the money for SCs, OBCs and minorities is credited directly to the beneficiaries into their bank accounts, the tribal affairs ministry transfers the money to states which then distributes it further to the students.
