The Union government has made it clear that they have no plans of restoring or reinstating the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) scheme and pre-matric scholarships for the minority community students from Classes 1 to 8. On February 2, 2023, during the ongoing special Budget Session of the Parliament, Lok Sabha Members Shri K. Muraleedharan (INC), Shri Abdul Khaleque (INC), and Shri Kunwar Danish Ali (BSP) raised questions concerning the discontinuation of the MANF scheme for minority students.

On December 9, 2022, the Union government had announced the union government’s decision to discontinue the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF), a scholarship for students from minority communities, from this academic year. The reason quoted by the government was that the MANF scheme overlapped with various other fellowship schemes for higher education.

The MPs had asked the government to provide the details, including the underlying reasons, for the discontinuation of the MANF scheme and the pre-matric scholarships for the students belonging to minority communities. The ministers had also asked whether the said decision of discontinuation will affect the studies of the minority students or not.

The Union Minister of the Ministry of Minorities Affairs, Smriti Irani, responded to the said questions by reiterating the answer provided by the Ministry before, and informing the Lok Sabha that “the Government has implemented various schemes for the welfare and upliftment of every strata, including minorities, especially the economically weaker and lesser privileged sections of the society, through various schemes of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Rural Development.”

As a justification for discontinuing the MANF, the government provided that “It has been observed that the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) Scheme of UGC and CSIR is open for students of all categories. Besides, students from minority communities are also covered under National Fellowship Schemes for Scheduled Castes and OBCs implemented by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and National Fellowship Schemes for Scheduled Tribes implemented by Ministry of Tribal Affairs.” But, the issue with the government’s statement of MANF overlapping with other schemes is not justified as it has been specifically pointed out that the MANF overlaps with the OBCNF (Other Backward Classes National Fellowship) and students from minority communities are not included in the category of OBCs, STs or SCs.

Furthermore, as it is not possible for a student to benefit from multiple scholarships at the same time, the question of overlap does not arise. Since the number of applicants for Junior Research Fellowship are high, while the ones that get the grant are low, the MANF scholarship provided a second backing to the child from the minority communities.

For making the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme applicable to only students of classes IX and X, the government provided that the same was decided as under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, free and compulsory elementary education (classes I to VIII) to each and every child. For a government that aims to encourage access to education for all, especially to the underprivileged and minorities, this seems like a step back.

Both of these decisions, which the government is in no mood to change, seem like an effort by the government to snatch the minority community’s access to education and research. The number of students from the minority communities is low as it is. It can be said that while making these decisions of cutting down scholarships, the government has failed to consider the systematic oppression and discrimination faced by the minorities.

The complete answer may be read here.

In the same Budget session of the Parliament, MP Mala Roy questioned the Ministry of Minority Affairs to provide information regarding whether the Government proposes to withdraw the education loan subsidy for minority students to study abroad, the details thereof and the number of beneficiaries. In January 2023, the Ministry of Minority Affairs had discontinued the scheme of interest subsidy on education loans for overseas studies for students belonging to minority communities (Padho Pardesh).

All the banks were notified by the Indian Banks’ Association last month about the discontinuation of the Padho Pardesh Interest Subsidy Scheme from 2022-23. The scheme so far was being implemented through Canara Bank, the designated nodal bank. As per MoMA’s latest annual report, during the year 2020-21, an amount of ₹20.20 crore was released to Canara Bank for reimbursement of interest subsidy of fresh plus renewal candidates under the Scheme.

The reason for the same, as provided by the minister in her reply, was that “it was observed that benefits of interest subsidy that got accrued to the beneficiaries under the Padho Pardesh scheme were limited and also that there is an apparent overlap with other similar schemes being implemented by other Ministries which are applicable to eligible minority community students as well. In view of the aforesaid overlap, limited benefits and ease of availing education loans on low rate of interest, it has been decided to discontinue Padho Pardesh Scheme from 2022-23 onward.”

The government further provided the state/UT-wise number of beneficiaries during last five years, which is as follows:

It is essential to note, as can be deduced from the data provided, the number of beneficiaries of the Padho Pardesh scheme had only increased in the last 5 years. In comparison to 3,656 beneficiaries in the year 2020-21, there were 4,622 beneficiaries in the year 2021-22, when the government suddenly decided to stop this education loan subsidy scheme.

It is further crucial to note, that in there had been a significant increase in the number of beneficiaries in the (erstwhile) state and current Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, wherein the number increased to 202 in 2021-22 from just 28 beneficiaries in 2017-18; the state of Kerala, wherein the number increased to 3,359 in 2021-22 from just 715 beneficiaries in 2017-18. The significant increase in the overall number of beneficiaries as also the substantial increase in number of beneficiaries in some of the states indicates that the reach of the scheme had just about spread widely and was benefiting the minorities when the government decided to pull the plug on them.

The complete answer may be read here.

Related:

SC: India is a secular country; PIL for RTE Act implementation should benefit members of all weaker sections

Union scraps Maulana Azad Scholarships for Research Scholars from Minority Communities

Centre excludes overseas humanities and social science courses from SC/ST scholarship

‘Woeful allocation’: Union budget ‘neglects, condemns’ physically challenged persons

Union Budget a Statement of ‘Sheer Hopelessness’, say Farmer Leaders

Women are the majority beneficiaries of World Bank-funded minority scholarships

The post Why has the Union govt pulled the plug on minority education schemes? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

To this, the Kerala CM painstakingly explained to her how the Kerala government had allocated 345 acres of precious land in Perinthalmanna taluka of Malappuram for this purpose on the understanding that a full-fledged AMU centre will function there with a grant from the Centre. “Take it back!” the HRD minister thundered.

While this unpleasant discussion was on between the HRD minister and the Kerala CM-led delegation, the AMU vice chancellor Lt. Gen (retd) Zameeruddin Shah entered the room. Irani then excelled herself. Turning on him, she said, “Why have you come?” He politely replied, “Ma’am, I have come at the invitation of the Kerala Chief Minister.”

She shot back in anger: “Who pays your salary? The Kerala CM or the HRD Ministry? Go back and sit in your room!” The VC was forced to leave in these humiliating circumstances while a stunned CM and his delegation looked on in utter disbelief, but remained silent.

There was a second meeting between the HRD minister and the Kerala CM at Trivandrum on January 14, 2016. Before the second meeting, a BJP delegation had visited the AMU centre at Malappuram. During the second meeting, the HRD minister repeated what she had said in Delhi but also said, “We will not give you anything extra!” This, in reality means that while the minister and her government have no immediate plan to close down the AMU centres it will allow it to meet a natural death. She has also unilaterally refused to allow an AMU school to function at the centre.

It was in 2010 that the AMU had taken a decision to open five off-campus centres, one each at Murshidabad, Malappuram, Kishanganj, Bhopal and Pune, which all were to be fully functional by 2020. Out of these, only the first three are partially functioning but without any school which would greatly add to their charm as students passing out from AMU schools have a 50 percent quota in AMU faculties and colleges. The HRD minister’s rejection of approving schools for these centres is designed to rob them of their appeal for the local people to send their children here, where these centre are established.

The crude and unacceptable behaviour of a central minister is not the first time that anyone to do with AMU — be it student or vice chancellor – has experienced. Earlier a delegation of women students from AMU were also insulted by Irani.

The posturing of the current HRD minister – as if the AMU VC took a unilateral decision to establish these centres—belies facts. In fact, these centres were part of the Union government’s scheme for the educational uplift of the Muslim community in the wake of the alarming Sachar Committee report of 2006. The academic and executive councils approved this scheme which was finally okayed in May 2010 by the then President of India who is the Visitor of the university. Before the establishment of these centres, the Union government engaged the Educational Consultants India Ltd (EDCIL), a public sector company, which prepared the project report after which UGC released funds.

The Malappuram centre was established in 2010. Its projected growth for the year 2015 was 13,000 students and 13 faculties but even now it is offering only three courses, viz., MBA, BEd and LLB which are attended by only 400 students . The Murshidabad centre too is offering only these three courses while the Kishangarh centre is offering only BEd course.

In addition to offering free land for the Malappuram centre, the Kerala government had also built the infrastructure for the campus while funds for the buildings were released by the UGC. The current condition of the Malappuram centre is that it has a very small number of students and is offering only a few courses which means that the centre could die a natural death in a few years’ if some funds were not injected for a wider variety of courses to attract more students. It was in this context that the Kerala CM and MPs had initiated discussions with Irani.

The present Modi government has clearly made AMU a special target, even contesting its minority status in a matter pending in the Supreme Court. Incidentally, Zameeruddin Shah, who was then Lt General in the Indian Army had headed the Army deployed when the Gujarat carnage broke out in 2002.

Back in December 24, 2011, the then HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, while inaugurating the Malappuram Centre, had assured adequate funds for its future plans and development. In reply to a demand made by the Kerala chief minister in his presidential address at a function of the centre, Sibal had said, “Paise ki zaroorat hai to, hamaari taraf se koi kamee nahi hogi” (If money is needed, there will be no dearth of funds from our side).

[This report of Sabrangindia.in is based on an initial report by Zafarul-Islam Khan, editor of The Milli Gazette, New Delhi; this magazine will carry the report in its forthcoming issue of the magazine, March 1-15, 2016)

Image: livemint.com

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