SRINAGAR: The Government of India has informed the Lok Sabha that more than Rs 6,288 crore was disbursed under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for minority students between 2017-18 and 2021-22, benefiting over 2.75 crore students across the country.
In a written reply to a Question on February 4, 2026, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju said the Ministry implements multiple schemes for the socio-economic and educational empowerment of the six centrally notified minority communities, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis. The question was raised by Shri Manoj Kumar.
The Minister stated that three key scholarship schemes, Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit-cum-Means, were implemented up to 2021-22 but have not been approved beyond that financial year.
Under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme, 2,75,21,889 scholarships were sanctioned during 2017-18 to 2021-22, with Rs 6,288.90 crore released. Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest cumulative allocation of Rs 1,249.94 crore, followed by Assam (Rs 522.46 crore), Karnataka (Rs 457.85 crore), Maharashtra (Rs 402.41 crore) and Kerala (Rs 365.38 crore).
Jammu and Kashmir figured prominently among beneficiary regions. During the five-year period, 16,91,935 Pre-Matric scholarships were sanctioned in the Union Territory, involving an expenditure of Rs 381.75 crore. In 2019-20 alone, 5,23,653 scholarships were sanctioned in J&K, with Rs 129.16 crore released.
Under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme, 2,67,582 scholarships were sanctioned in Jammu and Kashmir between 2017-18 and 2021-22, with Rs 167.42 crore disbursed. In 2019-20, the UT recorded a sharp rise with 1,11,052 scholarships sanctioned, amounting to Rs 72.51 crore.
Similarly, under the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme, 37,977 students from Jammu and Kashmir benefited during the five-year period, with Rs 98.66 crore released. The data tabled in the House shows that the UT consistently ranked among the higher recipients under all three scholarship categories.
Jammu and Kashmir, which has a Muslim-majority population and a significant concentration of notified minority communities at the national level, has historically recorded substantial uptake of centrally sponsored minority welfare schemes. The scholarship numbers indicate sustained participation from the region, particularly in the years 2019-20 and 2020-21. Ladakh, which was carved out as a separate Union Territory in 2019, also began reflecting separate allocations from 2020-21 onward.
At the national level, under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme, 35,08,884 scholarships were sanctioned between 2017-18 and 2021-22, involving Rs 2,190.55 crore. Under the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme, 6,07,783 scholarships were sanctioned during the same period, with Rs 1,627.16 crore disbursed. Kerala recorded the highest allocation under the Merit-cum-Means scheme at Rs 356.26 crore.
The Minister informed the House that the Padho Pardesh scheme, which provided interest subsidy on educational loans for minority students pursuing higher studies abroad, has been discontinued from 2022-23 as education loans are now available at cheaper rates through other government interventions. Between 2017-18 and 2021-22, 15,722 beneficiaries received interest subsidy under the scheme, involving Rs 98.89 crore.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at creating community infrastructure in minority concentration areas, funds are released on a demand-driven basis. The infrastructure developed under PMJVK is intended for the benefit of the entire population of minority concentration areas.
The Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme, a Central Sector programme focusing on skill development, entrepreneurship among minority women and support for school dropouts, has recently been rolled out. Budgetary allocation under PM VIKAS stood at Rs 325.86 crore (RE) in 2023-24 with actual expenditure of Rs 209.42 crore. In 2025-26, Rs 312.10 crore has been allocated, with Rs 128.14 crore spent up to January 28, 2026. The Minister said implementation is at a nascent stage, with beneficiary training having recently commenced.
Under the Jiyo Parsi scheme aimed at addressing population decline among the Parsi community, assistance continued to be extended under medical and community health components. The Minister also detailed the functioning of the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC), stating that between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the Ministry contributed Rs 430 crore in equity, while NMDFC disbursed loans amounting to Rs 3,857.99 crore during the period.
The Minister said monitoring mechanisms include independent beneficiary verification, field visits, direct transfer of funds through NEFT/RTGS, digitised loan processing through the MILAN platform, periodic regional review meetings and review by the Secretary of the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Loan melas, awareness camps, exhibitions and social media outreach are also being conducted to improve awareness among minority communities.
The detailed year-wise and state-wise data on beneficiaries and funds released were annexed to the written reply laid on the table of the Lok Sabha on February 4, 2026.
