Maharashtra government has recently formed a new committee composed of principal secretaries of various departments of the government–higher and technical education, tribal development, minority among all.
Foreign education aspirants from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category who are hoping to take scholarship benefits from the state government are a troubled lot. As the government plans to bring uniform parameters for foreign education scholarships given to students coming from various categories, now all applicants will have to meet the eligibility criteria of annual family income of 8 lakh.
The Maharashtra government recently formed a new committee of principal secretaries of departments of higher and technical education, tribal development and minority. This committee is tasked with creating a comprehensive policy to bring uniformity in various schemes offered to students from various underprivileged backgrounds. This committee will work on recommendations by the earlier committee which included same income levels for applicants coming from all categories.
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This will include scholarship benefits under the Tribal Research & Training Institute (TRTI), Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research and Training Institute (MAHAJYOTI) and Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI). The committee will also bring uniform criteria in issuing foreign education scholarships too, leading to concerns among those from SC category.
One of the students said, “There was no income criteria in deciding foreign education scholarships for SC category. But now, citing the objective of bringing uniformity for all benefits, even foreign education scholarships are brought under this, and income criterion is forced on SC students too.”
Another student shared, “Various benefits offered to SC category students are not based on troubles in financial but social progress. Bringing income criterion into the picture is unheard of.”
Kuldeep Ambekar from Students’ Helping Hand, an organisation helping students from underprivileged backgrounds, said, “This is unconstitutional as benefits for SC category are not brought under the purview of income criteria. Students from SC category have finally started taking advantage of these benefits, after awareness and putting such eligibility criteria is going to hamper their plans of higher education abroad.”
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First published on: 25-11-2023 at 21:57 IST
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