Expansion of Academic Support in Higher Education: Scholarships and Infrastructure
UPSC / SSC current affairs note
Why in news
The Ministry of Education has released details on expanding academic support in higher education, emphasizing scholarships and infrastructure development. This is significant as it highlights the government's commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality higher education, especially for economically weaker sections. The data on scholarships and funding allocations provides a comprehensive overview of current initiatives.
Background
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes access, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in higher education. The government has been implementing various scholarship schemes for SC, ST, OBC, and economically weaker sections. The Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) was established in 2017 to fund infrastructure development in higher education institutions.
Key facts
In FY 2025-26, the central government provided approximately 1.09 crore scholarships for post-matric and higher education.
Of these, about 36 lakh scholarships were for OBC, EBC, and DNT students; about 48 lakh for SC students; and about 24 lakh for ST students.
Since academic year 2016-17, full fee waiver is provided for SC, ST, disabled students, and economically backward students with family income less than Rs 1 lakh per annum.
A two-thirds fee concession is given to economically backward students with family income between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per annum.
31 NITs and IIEST-Shibpur waive 100% tuition fees for SC/ST/PH students in M.E./M.Tech programs.
HEFA has disbursed loans worth Rs 24,977.62 crore to various Central Funded Institutions (CFIs) since its inception in 2017, as of March 2026.
Central universities received Rs 5,603.79 crore as grants in FY 2013-14, and Rs 1,13,943.55 crore from FY 2014-15 to FY 2025-26.
For FY 2026-27, an allocation of Rs 17,440 crore has been made for central universities.
PM-USP scheme includes two scholarship schemes: Central Sector Scholarship Scheme for College and University Students, and Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Prelims pointers
- PM-USP: Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan
- HEFA: Higher Education Financing Agency
- NEP 2020: National Education Policy
- Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes for SC/ST/OBC
- Central Sector Scholarship Scheme
- IIEST Shibpur
- Central Funded Institutions (CFIs)
- Ministries: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Mains angles
- Discuss the role of scholarships in promoting equity in higher education in India.
- Critically examine the effectiveness of HEFA in financing higher education infrastructure.
- Analyze the impact of NEP 2020 on access and inclusion in higher education.