Parliament Question: Scholarship Schemes for Students in Bihar

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4239 ANSWERED ON 18/03/2026 SCHOLARSHIP SCHEMES FOR STUDENTS IN BIHAR 4239. DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN: Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) the total number of minority students in Bihar who have received scholarships under Central schemes during the last three years; (b) the details of scholarship beneficiaries, district-wise particularly in Gopalganj district; (c) the total financial assistance disbursed to these students; (d) the steps taken to ensure timely release of scholarships; and (e) the details of Initiatives under taken by the Government to raise awareness among eligible students about scholarship schemes? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU) (a) to (c): Ministry of Minority Affairs implements various schemes, including Pre- Matric, Post Matric and Merit-cum-Means Scholarship schemes, across the country for socio- economic and educational empowerment of the six notified minority communities. However, the schemes have not been approved for implementation beyond 2021-22. Further, under Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan Yojana (PM-USP Yojana) which is implemented by Ministry of Education for College and University Students, financial assistance is provided to students pursuing higher education including those belonging to Minority category. The details of beneficiaries and amount sanctioned is Annexed. (d) to (e): The scholarships are disbursed in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode through Aadhar Payment Bridge System (APBS), which ensures timely and transparent scholarship disbursal. To enhance awareness of the PM-USP CSSS among students, the Departments of Higher Education of all States/UT Governments and the Higher Secondary Education Boards of all States are directed to disseminate information about the scholarship scheme among stakeholders through print and social media. Information useful for the students are also provided at dedicated students’ section of the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). *****Annexure (Annexure as mentioned in reply to part (a) to (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.4239 to be answered on 18.03.2026 on the subject of “Scholarship Schemes for Students in Bihar” asked by Dr. Alok Kumar Suman) Scholarship disbursed under PM-USPCSSS for the State of Bihar Fresh+Renewal S. F.Y No.of Scholarships Amount(₹Crores) No. General OBC SC ST Total General OBC SC ST Total 2022- 5056 6355 2696 395 14502 5.968 7.410 3.092 0.458 16.9282 1 23 2023- 4816 13408 3773 444 22441 5.983 16.180 4.598 0.542 27.3028 2 24 2024- 10456 33343 9927 1529 55255 12.797 40.274 12.055 1.852 66.9786 3 25 District–Gopalganj,Bihar Fresh+Renewal No.of Scholarships Amount(₹Crores) AY GEN OBC SC ST Total Gen OBC SC ST Total 2022-23 21 52 8 4 85 0.025 0.063 0.010 0.005 0.1028 2023-24 25 91 9 3 128 0.032 0.112 0.011 0.004 0.1576 2024-25 35 123 25 7 190 0.042 0.151 0.030 0.008 0.2312