Church leaders and politicians have slammed the country’s federal government for ending a scholarship scheme that is important for the students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds to come up in society.
The decision to not to release the funds will affect more than 60 lakh students coming from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SC/ST) background.
“Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students were getting the benefit of a scholarship scheme for several years and stopping the funds meant for them will have a huge impact,” Father Nicholas Barla, secretary of the Indian Catholic bishops' Commission for Tribal Affairs, told UCA News.
“There is a fear that many students will drop their studies due to the financial condition of their families,” he added.
Father Barla said barring the scholarship will lead to the loss of opportunities for students to come up in the society. “It is necessary to provide them as they fully depend on scholarships for their studies,” he said.
“When you speak about sabka sath sabka vikas, meaning 'together for everyone's growth,' the government can’t ignore the weaker sections of this country. It is the responsibility of the federal government to help these communities to grow along with other communities,” he stressed.
The federal and state government runs different scholarship schemes for students of different levels. The focus of these schemes is to make education accessible for all. But the withdrawal of central funding will have a major impact on students who solely depend on these scholarships.
BJP’s opposition party leader, Rahul Gandhi said the federal government has made sure the marginalized students do not have access to education.
“In the BJP/RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) vision of India, Adivasis and Dalits should not have access to education. Stopping scholarships for SC/ST students is their way of end justifying their means,” he tweeted.
