Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of the Republic of India

03/10/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/10/2026 06:08

SCHOLARSHIP TO SC COMMUNITY

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

SCHOLARSHIP TO SC COMMUNITY

Posted On: 10 MAR 2026 4:52PM by PIB Delhi

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs are implementing the 'National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Caste Students' (NFSC) and the 'National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Tribe Students' (NFST) for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Ph.D. scholars respectively.

The eligibility criteria for SC and ST students for these schemes is as under:

Scheme

Eligibility

National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC)

(i)Qualifying UGC-NET (JRF) or Joint UGC-CSIR NET examination and securing admission in Universities/Institutions recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

(ii) No age limit

National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Tribe Students (NFST)

(i) At least 55% marks in Post-Graduation and qualifying UGC-NET or Joint UGC-CSIR NET examination and securing admission in Universities/Institutions covered under the scheme.

(ii)Maximum age 36 years


Under National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) and National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Tribe Students (NFST), there are no separate categories of scholarships/fellowships. However, under the NFSC scheme, out of 2000 slots annually, 1500 slots for UGC-NET (for humanities) and 500 slots for joint UGC-CSIR NET (for science stream) have been earmarked.

The State/UT-wise details of SC and ST beneficiaries during the last three years are at Annexure- I

To enhance access, awareness, and timely disbursement of scholarships to SC/ST Ph.D. scholars, the Government has undertaken several measures such as implementation of the schemes through a dedicated online Scholarship and Fellowship Management Portal (SFMP), disbursement of fellowships through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in the aadhaar seeded account of the eligible applicants, streamlining of verification processes and dissemination of information through the websites and outreach activities of the Department, NSFDC and UGC to ensure wider awareness among eligible students.

Annexure-I

Details of Year-wise and State/UT-wise number of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) Scholars covered under NFSC and NFST Scheme during 2022-23 to 2024-25.

Sl. No.

State/UT Name

Number of Scholars

2022-23

2023-24

2024-25

SC

ST

SC

ST

SC

ST

1

ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS

12

0

20

1

6

1

2

ANDHRA PRADESH

77

106

147

90

105

59

3

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

1

129

0

133

0

142

4

ASSAM

51

180

70

189

86

195

5

BIHAR

49

15

93

13

85

10

6

CHANDIGARH

12

0

16

0

19

0

7

CHHATTISGARH

31

101

43

109

54

113

8

DELHI

196

0

250

0

260

0

9

GOA

0

1

0

1

1

0

10

GUJARAT

37

145

53

146

47

113

11

HARYANA

194

0

258

0

263

0

12

HIMACHAL PRADESH

125

45

157

54

160

35

13

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

57

119

73

119

69

103

14

JHARKHAND

24

74

31

73

34

67

15

KARNATAKA

150

296

213

289

200

203

16

KERALA

90

14

125

12

140

11

17

LADAKH

0

51

0

55

0

53

18

LAKSHADWEEP

0

1

0

1

0

1

19

MADHYA PRADESH

59

67

118

53

107

36

20

MAHARASHTRA

102

79

147

81

149

69

21

MANIPUR

18

138

32

147

43

139

22

MEGHALAYA

1

122

1

142

1

138

23

MIZORAM

0

292

0

288

0

340

24

NAGALAND

0

186

0

216

0

222

25

ODISHA

68

141

106

142

84

191

26

PUDUCHERRY

3

0

4

2

5

1

27

PUNJAB

212

0

243

0

221

0

28

RAJASTHAN

128

102

176

104

174

88

29

SIKKIM

3

20

4

21

4

20

30

TAMIL NADU

75

27

107

24

102

22

31

TELANGANA

111

353

166

313

122

173

32

THE DADRA NAGAR HAVELI AND DAMAN AND DIU

0

0

0

1

0

1

33

TRIPURA

6

35

6

46

4

51

34

UTTAR PRADESH

462

10

735

15

776

17

35

UTTARAKHAND

58

6

88

8

95

8

36

WEST BENGAL

483

83

687

87

727

76

Total

*2895

2938

*4169

2975

*4143

2698

*As the tenure of Fellowship under NFSC Scheme is upto 5 years and a Scholar is repeated over the years, therefore, a Scholar is counted once during the year despite multiple payments.

Source: Scholarship and Fellowship Management Portal (SFMP)

This information is given by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

*****

SM/HK


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