'Link rate of SC/OBC pre-matric scholarship to price index'

Updated on: Wednesday, December 01, 2010

A Parliamentary panel today recommended linking the rate of pre-matric scholarship schemes meant for SCs and OBCs with the consumer price index, noting
that there was already a "substantial delay" in their revision.
The Parliamentary committee on Social Justice and Empowerment noted this in its 11th report on Scholarship Schemes for Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes tabled in the Rajya Sabha.

"The committee is unhappy to note that there is a substantial delay in the revision of post-matric scholarship schemes for SCs/OBCs, which was last revised during 2003. Keeping in view the considerable price hike, the committee feels that there is an urgent need to increase the rates as per the consumer price index", it said in the report.

The panel has strongly recommended expediting the process of revising the scheme so that SC/OBC students can get enhanced rates in the current academic year itself.

It also observed that there are different rates of scholarships as well as income ceiling limits for SCs/OBCs/STs and minorities and that since these scholarships schemes are being run by three different ministries, there is no coordinated view while effecting revisions under different schemes.

For this, the committee said, it was necessary to have some uniformity in the numerous scholarship schemes. In this connection, the ministry opined that there should be an umbrella authority to be named 'National Scholarship Authority' which can take a coordinated view of the income ceiling limit and rates in various scholarship schemes.

The panel noted that according to selected educational statistics 2006-07 published by the HRD ministry, the dropout rate for SC students at pre-matric stage is as high as 70 per cent and when compared to all category of students, it is
higher by a significant 10 per cent.

The committee observed that pre-matric scholarship scheme for SC students, which can be instrumental in reducing the dropout rate, is limited only to students of parents engaged in "unclean" occupations.

It said, the ministry had sent a proposal for Planning Commission's approval for introducing pre-matric scholarships for all SC students and though the Commission has conveyed its approval in principle, the ministry has not been able to get
the required allocation for the scheme.

The panel said that the scholarships for poor SC students at pre-matric stage will greatly motivate and facilitate them to attend schools and reduce the drop out rates.

'Link rate of SC/OBC pre-matric scholarship to price index'

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