No proposal to restore MANF, Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme; Govt tells Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: The ministry of minority affairs informed the Lok Sabha today that there is no proposal to restore the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) scheme or reinstate the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Classes 1 to 8.

Union minister of minority affairs Smriti Zubin Irani said, “This modification has also been done to harmonize the scheme with identical Scholarship schemes implemented by other Central Government Ministries.”

In the Union Budget 2023-24, the Pre-Matric Scholarship for OBCs, EBCs and DNTs saw a 41% cut in allocation. Funds for the upcoming year have been earmarked as Rs 281 crore, down from Rs 478 crore BE in 2022.

On the other hand, the OBC fellowships have got Rs 57 crore only. National Fellowships for SCs has been cut from Rs 173 crore to Rs 163 crore. National Fellowship for STs has got Rs 145 crore, the same as the current year.

The minister reiterated that the MANF scheme was discontinued from 2022-23 as it “overlaps” with various fellowship schemes for higher education.

Also read | Education Budget 2023: Funds for merit-cum-means scholarship for minorities slashed by 87%

“It has been observed that the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) scheme of UGC and CSIR is open for students of all categories. Besides, students from minority communities are also covered under National Fellowship Schemes for Scheduled Castes and OBCs implemented by ministry of social justice & empowerment and National Fellowship Schemes for Scheduled Tribes implemented by the ministry of tribal affairs,” Smriti Irani said in the reply.

The Centre through a notification issued in November limited the Pre-Matric Scholarship for minority communities students of Classes 9 and 10 citing that the Right to Education Act 2009 guarantees free and quality education to all children till Class 8.