Stalin urges Modi to increase family income ceiling for SC, ST, OBC students for matric scholarships

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to increase the annual family income ceiling for post and pre-matric scholarships for SC, ST and OBC students from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh, which is essential and fully justified.

Underscoring an urgent need to enhance the income cap, Stalin, in a letter to Modi, said that the Centre has revised the income ceiling for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) to Rs 8 lakh.

Also, the union government has raised the income ceiling for schemes such as National Overseas Scholarship and Top-Class Education Scheme to Rs 8 lakh for SC, ST students. "The refixing of income ceiling has benefitted many students from disadvantaged backgrounds."

Boosting scholarships for marginalised communities

According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) Report, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe students and certain Backward Communities remains significantly lower than other students.

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There is a stark difference in the GER of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, as compared to the general population.

Therefore, it is imperative to facilitate their enrolment in larger numbers in higher education institutions. Providing post and pre-matric scholarships will go a long way in increasing their enrolment in higher education.

"In our view, increasing the annual income ceiling for post-matric and pre-matric from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh on par with that of the economically weaker sections is not only essential but also fully justified and warranted," the CM said.