June 15, 2023: Students belonging to SEBC category have been waiting for the advertisement of scholarship scheme to study abroad; state govt may approve it next week.
The Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARATHI), which was established to train youths from the Maratha and Maratha-Kunbi community in 2018 for competitive examinations, has not published an advertisement since its inception till date for a scholarship scheme for students belonging to the community who wish to pursue postgraduate and PhD degrees in the top 200 universities abroad.
The proposal of the scholarship scheme is still pending with the state government’s planning department and the state cabinet. Thousands of Socially and Economically Backward Class (SEBC) students and all those who have already got offers from global universities are waiting for the advertisement to appear.
The SARATHI officials assured them that the proposal might be passed in an upcoming cabinet meeting. However, the students said that the admission process of international universities is in the final stage.
Savitri Shinde (name changed to protect identity) told Mirror, “I am trying to get the benefit of this scholarship scheme of ‘Sarathi’. I got an offer to study in a prestigious institution in England. The admission process for the master’s course is underway. The scholarship scheme’s advertisement should have been published last month (May). The list of eligible candidates should be published in June by ‘Sarathi’. The allotment of the first installment of scholarship should be finished by July-August. However, the state government has still not published the advertisement for the scholarship.”
Akshay Gaikwad told Mirror, “Sarathi officials told us the revised proposal was sent in March 2023. Right now, it is pending in the planning department under deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. I have got an offer to study from London’s high-ranking university. Since my family’s economic condition is weak, I cannot bear the expenses. I needed this scholarship. The advertisement should be published immediately. Academic careers of hundreds of students are at stake. The state government should take this seriously.”
Kuldeep Ambekar, founder, Students Helping Hand, said, “Even after eight months of delay, the ministry’s scholarship proposal is gathering dust. It is feared that the dream of foreign education for needy and deserving Maratha students will be shattered this year. 50 deserving students are supposed to get Rs 30 lakh per year through Sarathi under the scholarship to pursue postgraduate and PhD abroad. However, the students who are eligible for the scholarship for foreign education for 2023-2024 have still been waiting for the proposal’s approval since November 2022.”
Sanjeev Jadhav, registrar, Sarathi, said, “In March, the revised proposal was sent to the planning ministry. They have given the green signal to the proposal. Next week’s cabinet meeting may approve it.”
Ashok Kakade, CEO, ‘Sarathi’, said, “Some queries were raised by the planning department about the proposal. We resent the corrected proposal. We have recommended names of 50 students for this scholarship scheme. The advertisement for the scholarship will be published by the state government and not by ‘Sarathi’. The higher education ministry and planning ministry have already approved the proposal. It will get a final approval in next week’s cabinet meeting.”
Scholarships open for OBC and SC students, but still not for SEBCs
In the revised scholarship scheme for higher education in foreign universities, the number of beneficiaries has been increased from 10 to 50. Eventually, it will go up to 75. Higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil announced this in the legislative assembly. The responsibility of implementing the scholarship was given to ‘Sarathi’. However, an advertisement for this current academic year has not been published. On the other hand, the advertisements of a similar scholarship for OBC and SC students were released a month ago.