New Delhi, August 12–13, 2025 The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice & Empowerment has sharply reprimanded the Ministry of Minority Affairs for failing to renew approval for Pre-Matric, Post-Matric, and Merit-cum-Means scholarship schemes since the 2022–23 academic year. These delays have deprived economically weaker students from minority backgrounds of crucial financial aid.

The committee highlighted that while similar scholarship programs under the Social Justice, Disability, and Tribal Affairs ministries continued without interruption, the Ministry of Minority Affairs suspended its schemes to align them with other programs, an ongoing bureaucratic process.

In strongly worded recommendations, the panel urged the ministry to finalize approvals promptly and ensure that minority students receive benefits on par with those accorded to other marginalised groups. It also flagged a lack of spending on livelihood initiatives like PM VIKAS and highlighted delays in other schemes, urging full budget utilization before the 2025–26 financial cycle concludes.