Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 14: Students pursuing professional degrees from different colleges in Kashmir are facing difficulties due to the Ministry of Minority Affairs’ delay in providing financial aid under the merit-based scholarship scheme.
The program, known as the NSP Merit Cum Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses (Minorities), is specifically designed for minority community students pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate technical or professional courses in Indian colleges. These scholarships are administered through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
The scheme aims to provide financial support to deserving and disadvantaged students from minority communities who are pursuing technical and professional courses. The assistance covers both the course fees and living allowances. Unfortunately, students claim that they have not received their scholarship amount for the past five months, which has caused them extreme hardship.
The affected students are currently experiencing financial difficulty as a result of the delay in the disbursement of aid because they rely on it to cover their educational and living expenses. “Despite submitting the required paperwork for verification, the scholarship money has not yet been given to the students. Even though paperwork can take some time, it is taking way too long this year. We do not know the precise reason behind it,” said an MBBS student at GMC Srinagar.
Parents have also voiced their dissatisfaction with the delayed release of scholarship payments, emphasizing that the financial assistance provided through the scheme is crucial for them to afford their children’s education. “With the help of government support, my child has been able to pursue a professional course, but there should not be any delays in releasing the financial support, considering our tight household budget,” a parent said.
In addition to the delayed payments, students have appealed to the government to include food costs in the scholarship coverage. “We have to pay around Rs 3000 monthly for food, and that is very difficult for us to manage. We urge the government to add the food component to the scholarship,” a third-year MBBS student at GMC Anantnag said.
Acknowledging the delay, an official at the Department of Social Welfare attributed it to the ongoing re-validation of cases. “We have completed the re-validation process and are now waiting for the government to release the payment to the beneficiaries,” she said.
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