**Executive Summary:**
This document is a response to questions raised in Lok Sabha regarding the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) scheme for students belonging to SC/ST and other disadvantaged groups. It addresses delays, scholarships for 2025-26, beneficiaries since 2019, revision of allowances, and scheme evaluation funding. The response provides details on provisional award letters issued for 2025-26 and financial assistance disbursed since 2019.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) Scheme:**
* Provisional Award Letters: Issued to all 106 candidates selected in the first round of the 2025-26 selection year.
* State-wise Selection Details: Annexure I provides a breakdown of provisionally selected candidates for 2025-26 by state/UT.
* Beneficiary Details (2019 onwards): Annexure II details the number of beneficiaries and financial assistance disbursed since 2019, categorized by state/UT and social category (Scheduled Castes, Denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers, and Traditional Artisans).
* Scheme Approval Period: The NOS scheme is approved for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
* Scheme Review: Review of the Scheme and financial assistance follows a laid down procedure.
**Impact Analysis:**
* **Students (SCs, Denotified Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers, and Traditional Artisans):**
* *Impact:* The NOS scheme enables selected students to pursue studies abroad with financial assistance.
* *Action Required:* Selected candidates should follow up on their Provisional Award Letters to proceed with their overseas studies.
* **Government of India (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment):**
* *Impact:* The Ministry is responsible for administering the NOS scheme, disbursing funds, and reviewing its effectiveness.
* *Action Required:* Continue to implement the scheme, monitor its progress, and conduct reviews as per the established procedure.
Key Entities Referenced
National Overseas Scholarship: A scholarship program by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to support students studying abroad.
SCs: Refers to Scheduled Castes, a group of historically disadvantaged communities in India.
STs: Scheduled Tribes, a group of historically disadvantaged indigenous communities in India.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India.
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment: The Indian government ministry responsible for welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalized communities.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India.
Uttar Pradesh: A state in India.
Scheduled Castes, Denotified Nomadic and SemiNomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans: Categories of beneficiaries eligible for the NOS scheme.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
LOK SABHA
T NSTARRED QUESTION NO.2538
TO BE AI\SWERED ON 05.08.2025
NATIONAL OVERSEAS SCHOLARSHIP
2538. SHRI S VENKATESAN:
SHRI RAHUL GANDHI:
SHRI SELVAGANAPATHI T.M.:
SHRI SACHITHANANTHAM R:
Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether it has come to the notice of the Government regarding the inordinate delay in
National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) to 60Yo of the students belonging to SC/ST;
(b) if so, the reasons for an inordinate delay in clearing NOS, State-wise;
(c) the measures are taken to safeguard the interest of the students belonging to oppressed
sections whose study is hindered;
(d) whether the Govemment proposes to provide scholarships to all promising young candidates
selected under the National Overseas Scholarship for 2025-26, if so, the details thereof, State-
wise;
(e) the details and number of candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, De-notified Nomadic
and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Landless Agricultural Labourers and Traditional Artisans who have
availed benefits under the NOS scheme since 2019, along with details of the financial assistance
disbursed and utilized, State-wise;
if
(f) whether the Govemment proposes to revise or enhance the annual maintenance allowance,
so, the details thereof; and
(g) whether it is a fact that the Govemment is not in a state to provide funds for evaluating the
scheme during the financial year (2026-2027) and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OX'STATE F'OR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
(sHRr RAMDAS ATHAWALE)
(a) to (d): Provisional Award Letters have been issued to all the 106 candidates who have been
selected in the first round of the Selection Year 2025-26 under the National Overseas
Schotarship (NOS) Scheme for SCs etc. The StateAJT-wise details of candidates provisionally
selected for selection year 2025-26 under the Scheme is at Annexure-I.
(e): State/UT-wise and category-wise details of beneficiaries and financial assistance
disbursed since 2019 is at Annexure-Il.
(f) & (g): The NOS Scheme has been approved for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
Review of the Schemes which also covers components of financial assistance, follows a laid
down procedure.Annexure-I
'^
Annexure referred to part (a) to (d) in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2538 to be
answered on 05.08.2025.
The StateAJT-wise details of candidates provisionally selected for selection year 2025-26 under
the Scheme:
S. No. State/UT 2025-26
Andaman & Nicobar 0
1
2 Andhra Pradesh 7
3 Arunachal Pradesh 0
4 Assam 0
5 Bihar 5
6 Chandigarh 2
7 Chhattisearh 2
8 Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu 0
9 Delhi 7
l0 Goa 0
t1 Guiarat 9
t2 Haryana t2
13 Himachal Pradesh 0
t4 Jammu & Kashmir 0
l5 Jharkhand 0
l6 Karnataka 7
t7 Kerala 4
18 Ladaktr 0
t9 Lakshadweep 0
20 Madhya Pradesh 1l
2t Maharashtra t2
22 Manipur I
23 Meshalaya 0
24 Mizoram 0
25 Nagaland 0
26 Odisha 2
27 Puducherry 0
28 Puniab 6
29 Raiasthan 2
30 Sikkim 0
3t Tamil Nadu I
32 Telangana 3
33 Tripura 0
34 Uttar Pradesh 9
3s Uttarakhand 2
36 West Bengal 2
Total 106
_,t_Apnexure-II
Ann€xur€ refer€d to part (e) h rcply to Lok Sabha Unstafled Question No. 2538 to be answered on 05.08.2025
' Stratr/UT-wise details of the numb€r of beneficiaries betonging to Schedulcd Cast€s, De-notified Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes, L€ndtcss
Agricultural Labourers and Traditionat Artisans who have availed benefit under the Soheme, along with the finaucial assistance extqrded to them since
2019:
m crore
2019-20 2020-21 202t-22 2022-23 2023-24 20u-25
Deneficieriet Beneficieries Beneliciaries Expenditure Beneficieries |eneficiaries Benelicirries t02s-26
S.No. state^.IT Gone Expenditure (Gone Expcnditure [Gone (Gone Expenditure Gone Expenditure iGone Expenditure
lbroed) Ahrord) Abroad) Abroad) \broad) {broad)
I { )rn ad dh er sa h 0 0.00 4 2.26 0 0.00 0 0.00 3 1.67 3 2.98
., arunachal 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
lradesh
3 {ssam 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 I 0.80 0 0.00
4 lihar 0 0.00 0 0.00 I 0.92 I 0.1 1 0.40 2 0.91
5 rh 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
6 uh 0 0.00 0 0.00 I 0.43 0 0.00 I 0.58 0 0.00
7 )elhi 5 2.64 3 1.63 1 1.65 4 2.s0 8 s.50 7 4.26
8 ioa 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
9 lirriamt 0 0.00 0.74 4 t.52 8 4.07 6 3.88 t2 7.33
l0 Flaryana I 0.68 3 1.77 7 t.96 2 r.3E 3 3.01 0.42 hovisional a
ll Himachal Pradesh 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 I l.0l 0 0.00 ward letters
t2 Iammu and 0 0.00 I 0.70 0 0.00 0 0.00 I 0.41 ) 1.27 to selected
Kashmir 106 t
13 lharkhand 0 0.00 I 0.35 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 candidates
4
5
K Ka er rn aa lataka ., 0l. .3 67l 4
4
2 1. .3 76
4
4I 0 2. .6 t2E 35 2 1.. 6t 8t 3I 0 1. .8 54
5
40 0 2. .0 l0 l h isa sv ue
e
db e ae nn
d
\
6 Ladakh 0 0.00 0 L56 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 these
candidates
t7 Madhya 5 2.90 J 0.00 6 3.77 I 0.34 4 3.08 5 2.70 are yet to
Pradesh
IE Maharashtra 20 10.90 28 19.73 43 2.34 56 29.27 68 43.65 ll 12.00 proceed
t9 0.40 0 1.3 E 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 000 0 0.00 abroad for
20 Meehalava 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 study.
2t Mizoram 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
22 Naealand 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
23 Cdisha I 1.27 2 1.3 8 2 2.5 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
24 $ 0 0.00 I 0.00 4 0.00 0.00 I 0.00 6 t.20
25 Puducherrv 0 0.00 0 0.81 0 2.9t 0 2.25 0 0.70 2 4.26
26 0 0.00 0 0.00 2 1.90 0 0.00 I 0.42 a46
27 Sikkim 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
28 Iamil Nadu 2 0.35 5 6.04 7 4.97 1.05 4 3.41 4 2.38
29 Ielangana I 0.31 3 r.43 1 1.42 l.l E I 0.39 4 1.97
30 fripura 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
3l Uttar Pradesh I 0.3 r 2 0.58 9 5.23 7 3. l6 6 2.41 9 7.M
32 Ittarakhand 0 0.00 0.40 I 15 1.28 0 0.00 2 1.00
33 West Bengal I 0.E8 5 5.31 2 1.80 I 0.4E 0 0.00 4 2.63
Total 4l 22.63 7t 50.17 9E 3733 98 50.86 tt4 73.E0 79 s4.92
The total amount mentioned above represents the amount sm
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