Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking enhanced financial assistance from the Central Government for scholarship schemes benefiting Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC/BC) and minority students. In his letter, the Chief Minister said that inadequate Central funding has resulted in lakhs of eligible students being deprived of scholarships, adversely affecting their education and future prospects.
Soren requested the Prime Minister to ensure that scholarship allocations match the actual requirements of the state and urged the Centre to increase its financial share in various scholarship schemes.
Centre’s Allocation Falls Short of State’s Requirements
Drawing attention to the funding gap, the Chief Minister stated that the amount released by the Central Government for both pre-matric and post-matric scholarship schemes has consistently remained far below the state’s demand over the past two financial years.
According to Soren, this shortage has made it difficult for the state to provide timely scholarship benefits to deserving students, especially those belonging to economically weaker and socially disadvantaged communities.
Huge Funding Gap for OBC Scholarship Schemes
The Chief Minister highlighted that assistance provided by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for OBC scholarships is significantly lower than Jharkhand’s actual requirement.
Although there is little difference between the scholarship rates prescribed by the Centre and the state government, the allocation itself remains inadequate.
He cited the following figures:
Pre-Matric Scholarship (OBC)
- 2024-25: State demanded ₹66.14 crore, received only ₹12.61 crore
- 2025-26: State demanded ₹45.91 crore, received only ₹3.95 crore
Post-Matric Scholarship (OBC)
- 2024-25: Demand of ₹353.21 crore, allocation of only ₹33.57 crore
- 2025-26: Demand of ₹370.87 crore, allocation of ₹58.22 crore
Soren said the significant gap between demand and allocation has severely affected scholarship disbursement for OBC students across the state.
No Scholarship Funds Released for ST Students in FY 2025-26
The Chief Minister also expressed concern over scholarship funding for Scheduled Tribe students.
He stated that the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs did not release any funds for either pre-matric or post-matric scholarship schemes during the 2025-26 financial year.
Although Jharkhand received ₹200 crore during 2024-25 for post-matric scholarships, Soren clarified that this amount was actually pending arrears from the 2022-23 financial year, and not fresh funding.
He further pointed out that:
- Only 42 percent of the Central share for 2023-24 was released as the first instalment.
- The remaining 58 percent of the Central share for 2023-24 is still pending.
- The state has also not received the full Central share for 2024-25 and 2025-26.
- No Central assistance has been released for pre-matric scholarships for ST students during 2024-25 and 2025-26.
According to the Chief Minister, these delays have disrupted scholarship payments to a large number of tribal students.
Disparity in Scholarship Rates
Soren also flagged disparities in scholarship rates among different social categories.
He noted that the pre-matric scholarship rates currently stand at:
- Scheduled Tribes (ST): ₹3,000
- Scheduled Castes (SC): ₹3,500
- Backward Classes (BC/OBC): ₹4,000
The Chief Minister pointed out that even within the existing structure, Scheduled Tribe students receive the lowest scholarship amount despite belonging to one of the most vulnerable communities.
Minority Scholarship Scheme Should Be Revived
The Chief Minister also urged the Prime Minister to revive the Central scholarship scheme for minority students.
He noted that minorities constitute 23.29 percent of Jharkhand’s population but have not received benefits under the Central scholarship programme since 2021-22, as no funds have been released by the Government of India.
According to Soren, the discontinuation of the scheme has adversely affected the educational advancement of minority students in the state.
Appeal for Greater Central Support
Concluding his letter, Hemant Soren requested the Prime Minister to take immediate cognisance of the state’s concerns and ensure adequate financial support for scholarship schemes.
He stressed that increasing Central allocations would enable the state to provide timely financial assistance to deserving students and prevent interruptions in their education. The Chief Minister said enhanced scholarship funding would significantly strengthen educational opportunities for students from ST, SC, OBC and minority communities across Jharkhand.
