Parliament Question: Scholarships for Minority Students

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3956 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.08.2026 SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MINORITY STUDENTS 3956. THIRU ARUN NEHRU: Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) the details of the total number of Pre-Matric, Post-Matric, and Merit-cum-Means scholarships sanctioned for minority students in the Perambalur Lok Sabha constituency during the last three years; (b) the total financial outlays disbursed directly through Direct Benefit Transfer into the bank accounts of the beneficiary students residing in the Perambalur district during the said period; (c) whether the Government has received any complaints regarding significant delays in scholarship disbursements or portal verification issues hindering students from Perambalur and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefore; (d) the details of the verification mechanism adopted under the National Scholarship Portal to ensure timely and transparent disbursement of scholarships to eligible beneficiaries in Perambalur; and (e) whether the Government proposes to simplify Aadhaar authentication and online verification procedures for scholarship applicants in Perambalur and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU) (a) to (b): No scholarships have been sanctioned under the Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit- cum-Means Scholarship Schemes and the corresponding financial outlay released through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to eligible beneficiaries in the Perambalur Lok Sabha Constituency during the last three years as the scheme is not operational beyond 2021-22. (c): The National Scholarship Portal (NSP) has a structured grievance redressal mechanism for addressing complaints relating to scholarship applications, verification and disbursement. No specific issue pertaining to delays or portal verification in respect of Perambalur has been brought to the notice of the Ministry.(d): Scholarships under the National Scholarship Portal are processed through a multi-level verification mechanism comprising Aadhaar-based authentication, institution verification, district/state-level verification, and system-based validation before approval and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the beneficiaries' Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts. The portal also incorporates de-duplication and validation checks to ensure transparency and timely disbursement. (e): The Ministry continuously reviews and streamlines the implementation of scholarship schemes in coordination with the National Scholarship Portal. Necessary improvements are undertaken from time to time to simplify Aadhaar authentication, online verification and application processing while ensuring transparency, accountability and proper verification of beneficiaries. *****