Jharkhand CM writes to PM over Rs 700-crore scholarship funding gap, seeks urgent intervention

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren wrote to PM Narendra Modi seeking urgent intervention over a Rs 700-crore funding gap in central scholarship support for 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Soren alleged the Centre released only Rs 91.79 crore against Jharkhand's demand of Rs 724.08 crore for post-matric scholarships, with Rs 33.57 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 58.22 crore in 2025-26.

The funding gap has delayed scholarship payments to lakhs of students, putting their education at risk.

For pre-matric scholarships under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, Jharkhand received only Rs 12.61 crore in 2024-25 against a demand of Rs 66.14 crore, and Rs 3.95 crore in 2025-26 against a demand of Rs 45.91 crore.

Soren urged the Centre to restore discontinued scholarship schemes for minority students, discontinued since 2021-22.