Thousands of children across ten districts in Jharkhand are at risk of missing out on vital scholarships. Despite the deadline for applications being set for February 20, many post-matric students in these areas have yet to apply. This oversight is attributed to the failure of officials to input the necessary details of eligible government and non-government educational institutions into the e-Kalyan portal.
Consequently, students are unable to submit their applications online, with the prevailing belief being that this situation has arisen due to the negligence of officials. Among the districts where students face the risk of missing out on post-matric scholarships are Chatra, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Garhwa, Giridih, Gumla, Latehar, Pakur, Palamu, and Ramgarh.
In a communication dated December 19, 2023, with reference number 2179, the Tribal Welfare Commissioner of the state government clearly outlined that the application window for scholarships would be from January 11, 2024, to February 20, 2024. However, the registration of educational institutions was supposed to occur from December 20, 2023, to January 10, 2024. It is concerning that no educational institution in Chatra has registered for post-matric scholarships.
The responsibility for registration lies with the District Welfare Officer. Consequently, post-matric students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, and backward classes are likely to be deprived of scholarships. There is palpable frustration among students who feel they are unfairly bearing the consequences of officials’ negligence.
In Chatra district alone, while 53,784 children have received pre-matric scholarships, a total of 93,734 students applied for pre-matric scholarships in the ongoing financial year 2023-24. However, as of February 17, 2024, not a single application has been received for post-matric scholarships.
