Parliament Question: Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1498 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.07.2026 PRE-MATRIC SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME 1498. SHRI MATHESWARAN V S: Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that according to CAG report of 2024 mentioned that 10.87 lakh beneficiaries pertaining to 12 States/UTs under Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme were disbursed scholarship after the completion of the academic year, with a delay ranging from 1 to 48 months, if so, the actions taken against the officials for not disbursing the scholarship on time; (b) whether scholarship amount is being recovered from the beneficiaries who are benefitted illegally, if so, the details or the amount recovered State-wise; and (c) the reasons for no criminal action taken against the beneficiaries who are benefitted illegally? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE) (a) to (c): Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) implements Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely ‘Pre-Matric Scholarships for Scheduled Castes (SCs) & others through the State Governments/Administration of Union Territories. The Scheme Guidelines of Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme was revised in March 2022 and made applicable from 2021-22 to 2025-26. In the revised Guidelines, several issues viz. timelines for verification of application and disbursement of scholarship, development of State Portal, grievance redressal system, monitoring & evaluation, etc., identified by audit have been addressed. For the Pre-Matric Scholarships for SCs & others, applications from the students are invited by the States/UTs through designated online portal. States/UTs being the implementing agency define the major modalities for inviting applications, further processing, verification and other implementation aspects with suitable mechanisms at the level of State/UT. The disbursal of Central share of the scholarship amount is contingent upon States/UTs disbursing their share and pushing the State/UT share paid data on to the National Scholarship Portal.The portal opening and closing dates vary across different States/UTs resulting in delay in disbursal of scholarships. Other reasons behind delayed disbursal of scholarship, as reported by the States/UTs, include submission of defective applications by students, lack of Aadhaar seeding and bank-related issues, which are pursued and resolved by the respective States/UTs to the extent possible. Further, various issues regarding the implementation of the Scheme, including delay in disbursal of scholarship, are regularly taken up with the concerned stakeholders, including the States/UTs, and are addressed during the revision of the Scheme guidelines following the laid-down procedure. To improve the efficiency and transparency of scheme implementation, the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Others was introduced from the academic year 2022-23. The DBT framework has simplified and expedited the flow of funds by enabling direct transfer of scholarship amounts to Aadhaar-seeded beneficiary bank accounts. It has enhanced the accuracy of beneficiary targeting through de-duplication, minimized the scope for fund misuse, and strengthened transparency and accountability. The adoption of Aadhaar-based payment systems has further streamlined scholarship disbursement and reduced processing delays, resulting in more efficient and timely delivery of benefits. a8 2K ok OK