Hemant Soren Seeks Higher Central Scholarship Funds for Jharkhand Students in Letter to PM Modi

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to increase financial assistance for scholarship schemes benefiting students from Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), Backward Classes (BC) and minority communities in the state.

In his letter, Soren said inadequate central funding has left lakhs of eligible students without timely scholarship support, adversely affecting their education.

The Chief Minister said the Jharkhand government has adopted a scholarship distribution system based on the annual income of students' parents or guardians instead of community affiliation, with the objective of ensuring greater social justice and equal opportunities. However, he noted that the state's difficult geographical conditions, limited financial resources and large underprivileged population have placed significant pressure on its finances.

Highlighting the funding gap, Soren said the state had sought Rs 66.14 crore under the pre-matric scholarship scheme for Backward Class students for 2024-25 but received only Rs 12.61 crore from the Centre. For 2025-26, against a requirement of Rs 45.91 crore, only Rs 3.95 crore has been sanctioned.

He also pointed to a similar shortfall in the post-matric scholarship scheme. According to the Chief Minister, Jharkhand requested Rs 353.21 crore for 2024-25 but received only Rs 33.57 crore. For 2025-26, the state sought Rs 370.87 crore, while the Centre has released just Rs 58.22 crore.

Soren said the funding deficit has delayed scholarship payments, depriving many deserving students of financial assistance.

The Chief Minister further claimed that central support for scholarship schemes meant for Scheduled Tribe students has also been inadequate. He said no funds were released during the 2025-26 financial year for either pre-matric or post-matric scholarships for ST students. According to him, the Rs 200 crore released in 2024-25 largely consisted of pending dues and partial central contributions from previous years.

He also raised concerns over disparities in scholarship amounts, noting that ST students receive Rs 3,000 under the pre-matric scholarship scheme, compared to Rs 3,500 for SC students and Rs 4,000 for Backward Class students. He urged the Centre to remove this difference.

Referring to minority welfare, Soren said minorities account for 23.29 per cent of Jharkhand's population, but no central funds have been released under minority scholarship schemes since the 2021-22 financial year. He appealed to the Centre to revive the scheme and resume financial assistance.

The Chief Minister also urged Prime Minister Modi to formulate a special policy for economically weaker and developing states and enhance the Centre's contribution to post-matric scholarships and other welfare programmes to ensure uninterrupted educational support for deserving students.

With inputs from IANS

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