SCHOLARSHIPS
 

The Government of India had been conscious of the need to promote educational interests of talented students who are unable to prosecute their studies because of financial handicaps. With this purpose in view a large number of scholarship programme have been implemented in the Five Year Plans. Most of the programmes are financed out of the non-plan provisions of the Ministry of Education & Culture. However, two schemes for which provisions are provided in the plan and were being implemented in the Sixth Five Year Plan are (i) National Scholarship, and (ii) Scholarships for Talented Children from Rural Areas.

2. It has been felt that the coverage of the scholarship scheme being implemented at present required to be expanded, particularly in view of the fact that increasing number of students are seeking admission to educational institutions providing education at the second and third levels. In order to assist more students with financial support, it has been suggested that the coverage of the following scholarships schemes may be increased during the Seventh Five Year Plan.

(a) Under the National Scholarship Scheme the number of students to be assisted may be increased from 27000 to 56000 by 1990. It is expected that by providing scholarships to 56000 students, it would be possible to cover about 10% of the meritorious students as compared to 5.2% at present.

(b) The number of awards under the scholarship for talented children of rural areas should be increased from the existing 33000 to 60000 by 1990.

(c) As against 500 students being provided, scholarships for enabling them to study in approved residential scholars, efforts should be made to provide such scholarship to 1000 children. The scheme is at the moment being implemented as a non-plan programmes. It would be only in respect of 500 additional scholarships that provisions would have to form part of the Seventh Five Year Plan.

(d) The number of scholarships for studies abroad may be increased from the exiting 50 to 100. This scheme also forms part of the non- plan programmes of the Ministry ad it would be only in respect of 50 additional scholarships that provisions would have to be made avail- able as part of the Seventh Five Year Plan.

3. The level of expenditure reached in 1984-85 on scholarship pro- grammes, particularly, the National Scholarships and Scholarships for Talented Children from Rural Areas will form part of the non-plan budget provisions of the State Governments The provision required for stepping up the coverage of the programmes listed above would have to be reflected in the Seventh Five Year Plan. It is estimated for

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financing 4 scholarship programmes in regard to which step up in the coverage of beneficiaries is proposed, details of these programmes are given below.

        
        Scheme               Additional coverage                Seventh Plan
                             during the Seventh                 Provisions
                             Plan                               (Rs. in crore)
        
        (i) National Scholarship        56,000                   95.00
        
        
        (ii) Scholarship for talented
             children from rural areas  60,000                   25.00
        
        
        (iii) Scholarships for study in
              approved residential schools 500                    1.50
        
        
        (iv) Scholarship for studies aboard 50                    4.50
        
        
                        Total                                    126.00
                                          

4. The above provisions will form part of the Plan of the Ministry of Educational and Culture. Some outlays would have to be provided in the state sector for scholarships scheme that will be implemented at the State level. It is presumed that the State Sector outlays have already been built in the proposed plan outlays which have been recommended under different sectors of education.

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