Centre Releases ₹1,178 Crore SC Scholarship Share To Karnataka Students

The Centre has released ₹1,178.20 crore to beneficiaries in Karnataka under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) students over the last three financial years.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale shared the figures in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on August 9.

Karnataka received ₹421.08 crore in 2023-24, ₹422.90 crore in 2024-25 and ₹334.22 crore in 2025-26. The highest release during the three years was in 2024-25. The 2025-26 amount was about ₹88.68 crore lower than the previous year. The government has not given a reason for the year-on-year fall.

The scholarship is meant for SC students pursuing studies from Class 11 onwards, including recognised post-matric courses. Eligible students can get help with compulsory non-refundable fees, including tuition fees, as well as an academic allowance. Students with disabilities can also receive an additional allowance.

The scheme is open to eligible Indian students from the SC community whose parental or guardian income is not more than ₹2.5 lakh a year, subject to other scheme conditions.

The Centre’s latest national figures show the scholarship programme has expanded sharply. During 2025-26, ₹6,208.08 crore in central assistance was released under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme, benefiting 47.53 lakh students through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). This was the highest central release since DBT was introduced for the scheme in 2021-22.

Under DBT, scholarship money is transferred directly to beneficiaries’ Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts. The system is aimed at making payments faster and more transparent.

The scheme is run through state governments and Union Territory administrations. The Centre releases its share after receiving finally verified payment data from the states through the National Scholarship Portal.

The latest figures show that Karnataka received more than ₹1,178 crore in central scholarship support over three years, while national funding under the SC post-matric scheme has also reached a record level.