Failure to release BC overseas scholarship beneficiary list worries students

The State level selection committee meeting for the spring season has not been held so far with the intention that there will be problems if the spring season list is announced without announcing the fall season list.

Hyderabad: The State government’s failure to release the list of eligible candidates of the Mahatma Jyothiba Phule Overseas Vidya Nidhi, which aims to provide a helping hand to eligible poor Backward Castes students to pursue higher education abroad, is creating anxiety among students and parents in the State.

Almost a year has passed since the scrutiny of the documents regarding the applications received for the fall season of 2023 has been completed, but so far the BC Welfare Department has not announced the list of eligible candidates. As many as 2,700 applied for the fall season in October 2023, of which 150 candidates were to be selected. Document verification was done in January and the list of selected candidates was supposed to be announced by February.

---

Sources say although the State level committee prepared the list, the higher authorities did not approve it. In the hope that the scheme would be implemented, parents adjusted the fees of their children who have already joined Post Graduate and other higher education courses abroad by taking loans from various banks. In fact, courses of the candidates who got visas and joined the courses in various foreign universities were also nearing the end, but they have not received the scholarship.

Meanwhile, applications were received in the months of March and April this year to select 150 students for the spring season of 2024. About 3000 students have applied and scrutiny of documents of 1,200 candidates as per merit list has been completed.

The State level selection committee meeting for the spring season has not been held so far with the intention that there will be problems if the spring season list is announced without announcing the fall season list, sources said. Applications for the 2024 fall season are currently being accepted till October 15. It is estimated that around 2,000 students have applied so far. Under the scheme, the State government will grant a stipend of Rs.20 lakh each in two installments to 300 students annually, as well as airfare and visa expenses. Students have to apply for visas after the first scholarship is sanctioned.

In the past, some students were granted stipend but were denied visas for various reasons, hence, the government has suggested that only students who have got visas should apply for the scholarships. Applications are accepted every year in March for the spring season and October for fall season.