Times of India: Pune: Saturday,
December 20, 2025.
Over 1.4 lakh scholarship applications of higher education students in Maharashtra are pending at the college and departmental levels, pointing to significant delays in the implementation of state scholarship schemes, according to the reply of a query filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI).
Data obtained by
the Care of Public Safety Association (COPS), which filed the RTI with the
education department, showed that 75,000 applications are pending at the
college level, while another 67,000 are awaiting clearance from the higher
education department. The delays have affected thousands of students who rely
on scholarships to continue their education.
A total of 14 scholarship schemes are administered by the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE). The RTI response attributed delays at colleges to poor processing and verification of applications and, in some cases, missing documents.
A senior DHE official told TOI on Friday: "The delay is by the college administration in most cases. We have been sending several reminders. Recently, we conducted a fortnight camp for colleges to submit verification of pending cases so that the beneficiaries are able to take advantage of the govt schemes." The official said the pending cases also include scholarships offered by the social welfare department and other state departments.
Despite high enrolment, scholarship coverage remains limited. RTI data showed that between 2021–22 and 2025–26, 9.7 lakh students applied for scholarships under various state govt schemes, but only 7.3 lakh received financial assistance.
The state govt implements scholarship schemes through the MahaDBT portal, developed by the information technology department in Mantralaya. Fourteen schemes are administered by various departments, but five account for most applications the Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Tuition Fee Scholarship, Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Hostel Maintenance Allowance Scheme, Eklavya Scholarship, the State Govt Sponsored Minority Scholarship and the State Open Merit Scholarship.
COPS president Amar Ekad said, "The govt has failed to ensure timely processing and disbursal of scholarships, resulting in financial uncertainty for deserving students." He demanded immediate action against colleges that have kept applications pending and called for stricter departmental monitoring. "Delays in scholarship approvals are forcing students from economically weaker sections to either borrow money or discontinue their education," he added.
Over 1.4 lakh scholarship applications of higher education students in Maharashtra are pending at the college and departmental levels, pointing to significant delays in the implementation of state scholarship schemes, according to the reply of a query filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI).
A total of 14 scholarship schemes are administered by the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE). The RTI response attributed delays at colleges to poor processing and verification of applications and, in some cases, missing documents.
A senior DHE official told TOI on Friday: "The delay is by the college administration in most cases. We have been sending several reminders. Recently, we conducted a fortnight camp for colleges to submit verification of pending cases so that the beneficiaries are able to take advantage of the govt schemes." The official said the pending cases also include scholarships offered by the social welfare department and other state departments.
Despite high enrolment, scholarship coverage remains limited. RTI data showed that between 2021–22 and 2025–26, 9.7 lakh students applied for scholarships under various state govt schemes, but only 7.3 lakh received financial assistance.
The state govt implements scholarship schemes through the MahaDBT portal, developed by the information technology department in Mantralaya. Fourteen schemes are administered by various departments, but five account for most applications the Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Tuition Fee Scholarship, Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Hostel Maintenance Allowance Scheme, Eklavya Scholarship, the State Govt Sponsored Minority Scholarship and the State Open Merit Scholarship.
COPS president Amar Ekad said, "The govt has failed to ensure timely processing and disbursal of scholarships, resulting in financial uncertainty for deserving students." He demanded immediate action against colleges that have kept applications pending and called for stricter departmental monitoring. "Delays in scholarship approvals are forcing students from economically weaker sections to either borrow money or discontinue their education," he added.
.JPG)
.JPG)
