Bengaluru: Minorities Directorate disburses ₹290 crore in scholarships to 7.85 lakh students

The Directorate of Minorities has awarded scholarships worth ₹290 crore to 7.85 lakh students across various educational levels this academic year, Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan announced.

So far, ₹180 crore has been transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to 6.25 lakh students. A proposal has been submitted to the Finance Department for an additional ₹100 crore to cover 1.60 lakh more students.

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Under the Vidyasiri scheme, 23,000 students have secured hostel accommodations by January-end. Additionally, 5,753 students who couldn’t obtain hostel seats received a ₹1,500 monthly stipend for ten months, amounting to ₹15,000 per student. A total of ₹8.63 crore has been allocated for this initiative.

Khan also assured that 200 students facing Aadhaar linkage issues would receive their dues once the technical issues are resolved, ensuring full coverage.

For the current fiscal year, the Directorate received an allocation of ₹2,292 crore, of which ₹1,941 crore has been disbursed, and ₹1,608 crore—83% of the funds—has already been utilized.

Additionally, through the Minority Development Corporation, loans worth ₹92.50 crore have been distributed to 7,500 students under the Arivu and Foreign Education Assistance schemes. The Waqf Board also received ₹157 crore, with ₹125 crore already utilized, the minister stated.

The initiatives aim to provide financial support and enhance educational opportunities for minority students across the state.