New Delhi, April 24: In a major push for educational empowerment of marginalised communities, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar announced that Rs 7,981.47 crore has been disbursed to over 75 lakh Scheduled Caste (SC) beneficiaries during the financial year 2025-26. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment confirmed the figures, highlighting consistent growth across multiple scholarship and welfare schemes targeting India's most vulnerable student populations.

Scholarship Schemes Record Significant Growth

According to an official statement from the Ministry, expenditure under SC welfare schemes has shown a steady upward trajectory. The Pre Matric Scholarship Scheme for SCs and Others recorded a 21 per cent increase compared to the previous financial year 2024-25, signalling a stronger government commitment to early-stage educational support.

The Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SCs saw an 11.23 per cent rise, while the Central Sector Scholarship of Top Class Education for SC Students registered a 13.5 per cent increase. Additionally, the SHRESHTA Scheme — Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas — recorded a 16 per cent increase, reflecting expanded residential learning opportunities for SC students in underserved regions.

Government's Commitment to Inclusive Development

Minister Virendra Kumar reaffirmed that the government remains steadfast in its mission of inclusive development and social justice for all sections of society through targeted interventions. He emphasised that the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is actively implementing Acts and welfare schemes for the upliftment of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), senior citizens, transgender persons, De-notified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs), manual scavengers, sanitation workers, waste pickers, and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

This breadth of coverage underscores a whole-of-society approach — one that goes beyond caste-based interventions and attempts to address overlapping vulnerabilities across India's social fabric.

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan Reaches 26 Crore People

In a parallel development, the Ministry revealed that the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) has sensitised over 26 crore people on substance abuse, including 9.5 crore youth, 6.47 crore women, and more than 28,000 master volunteers. This was achieved through over 8.3 lakh activities conducted across educational institutions and community platforms nationwide.

Launched on August 15, 2020, by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, the NMBA initially covered 272 identified most-vulnerable districts. From August 15, 2023, it was expanded to all districts across the country — a significant scale-up reflecting the urgency of India's drug demand reduction challenge.

NMBA App 2.0: Digital Governance Upgrade

The Ministry also announced plans to launch the upgraded NMBA App 2.0, a centralised digital platform designed to enable real-time reporting, monitoring, and coordination among implementing agencies at the National, State, District, and institutional levels. The new version builds on the existing app infrastructure while introducing enhanced features focused on transparency, accountability, and data-driven governance.

The upgraded app will serve as a resource hub providing Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials and communication support for Nasha Mukti Mitras — grassroots volunteers facilitating awareness drives. It forms a key pillar of the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) monitoring framework.

Why This Matters: Deeper Context and Impact

The disbursement of nearly Rs 8,000 crore to SC students in a single financial year is among the largest such allocations in recent memory, and arrives at a time when India's Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for SC students in higher education continues to lag behind the national average, according to AISHE data. The consistent year-on-year growth across all four scholarship schemes suggests a deliberate policy correction — though critics and civil society groups have long argued that actual fund utilisation and timely disbursal remain persistent bottlenecks at the state level.

Notably, the SHRESHTA scheme, which focuses on residential schooling in high schools within targeted areas, directly addresses the dropout crisis among SC students — a structural issue that scholarship money alone cannot solve. The 16 per cent increase in its allocation is therefore particularly significant from a long-term outcomes perspective.

As the 2025-26 academic year progresses, the government is expected to release granular district-level utilisation data, which will be the true test of whether these disbursements translate into measurable improvements in SC student retention and graduation rates.