National Fellowship Scheme for SC sees number of beneficiaries drop 61% in 3 years

NEW DELHI: The number of fellowships awarded under the National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) students has decreased by 61% from 4,841 in 2020-21 to 1,872 in 2022-23. The funds released by the ministry of social justice and empowerment for this central sector scheme has also reduced 3.9% over the same period.

In response to questions related to funding and number of beneficiaries of the scheme, minister of state (MoS) for social justice and empowerment A Narayanswami informed the Lok Sabha that “National Fellowship Scheme for SC students is a demand-driven scheme and funds are released as per demand and there has been no shortage of funds.”

The National Fellowship Scheme for SC students supports Dalit students pursuing research programmes leading to MPhil or PhD degrees in sciences, humanities and social science streams. National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC ) has been implementing the scheme since October 2022. Earlier it was implemented by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

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National Fellowship Scheme for SC: Budget, beneficiaries

Under the National Fellowship Scheme for SC students, a total of 2,000 new fellowships are given to SC students annually who undertake advanced studies and research leading to MPhil or PhD degrees. If in an academic year, the slots remain 25% or more unfulfilled, then the slots of the next academic year are reviewed and backlog slots are filled, if required.

“During the financial year 2020-21, 4,841 slots including backlog slots were filled up,” Narayanswami said.

The data shows that there has been a reduction of 3.9 % in funds released by the ministry, from Rs 118.99 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 114.25 in 2022-23.

National fellowship budget, slots (amounts in Rs crore)

This has come at a time when there is growth in enrolment of Scheduled Caste students in higher education. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-21, the SC students enrollment grew 4.2% from 2019-20 to 2020-21; whereas the growth in the previous year was 1.6%. Further, overall increase in SC student enrolment since 2014-15 is 27.96%.

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No shortage of Funds

The central sector scheme is directly implemented by the ministry of social justice and empowerment without involvement of the state governments. Presently, the selection of students is done on the basis of merit determined by the National Eligibility Test (NET) examination of the University Grant Commission (UGC) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) held by National Testing Agency (NTA).

Explaining the decrease in the number of beneficiaries, minister said: “It is informed that data indicators keep oscillating year by year i.e. may increase or may not in the subsequent years because of the fact that the candidates who have been awarded with national fellowship have validity of this award for three years from the date of issue of award of fellowship. In this period of three years, the candidates may or may not avail the fellowship due to various reasons including better placement etc. and thereby, leave the course in between.”

He further said that the provisions of the scheme were reviewed by the expenditure finance committee and approved by the cabinet in 2021-22 and that the scheme will be continued for the next five years with the total outlay of Rs 882 core under the scheme and “there is no shortage of funds under the scheme”.

The Pre-Matric Scholarship for OBCs, EBCs and DNTs – other backward classes, extremely backward classes and denotified tribes – has seen a 41% cut in allocation as Rs 281 crore has been earmarked for the scheme, down from Rs 478 crore BE in 2022, according to an analysis of union budget 2023.