Budget 2026: The Union Budget for 2026-2027 has dealt a serious blow to support for minority education. The Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses has nearly collapsed due to a drastic reduction in funding. This scheme, designed to assist minority students pursuing costly professional and technical education, saw its allocation fall from Rs 7.34 crore in 2025-2026 to just Rs 0.06 crore, a cut of over 99 percent. The allocation remains unchanged at this minimal level in the 2026-2027 Budget, effectively rendering the scheme non-functional.
This sharp reduction raises serious concerns about the government's commitment to supporting minority students in higher and professional education. This is particularly troubling as tuition fees for engineering, medical, and management courses continue to rise. The near-total loss of funding suggests that the scheme is either being quietly phased out or that its implementation has stopped altogether.
Another significant setback is the reduced funding for the Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students. This important scheme supports minority scholars pursuing MPhil and PhD research. The fellowship allocation has decreased from Rs. 42.84 crore in 2025-2026 to Rs. 36.14 crore in 2026-2027, reflecting a nearly 16 percent cut. This reduction is especially concerning given the rising costs of higher education and research, along with the limited funding options available to scholars from financially weaker minority backgrounds.
The overall situation for minority scholarships looks equally grim. The Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities and the Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities show worrying signs of underutilization. The Post-Matric Scholarship had a Budget Estimate of Rs. 413.99 crore in 2025-2026, but its Revised Estimate dropped to only Rs. 0.06 crore. This indicates that barely any funds were used during the year. Similar trends appear in the Pre-Matric Scholarship, where revised spending also fell to Rs. 0.06 crore despite a higher initial budget.
The large discrepancy between Budget Estimates and Revised Estimates points to ongoing issues in implementation, delayed payments, or administrative challenges. Education activists argue that unspent funds do not indicate a decreased need but rather point to failures in execution. These issues ultimately harm students who rely on timely scholarship support to continue their studies.
Overall, allocations under the Education Empowerment budget show unstable and inconsistent funding. While the Budget Estimate for education schemes in 2026-2027 is Rs. 831.70 crore, the significant cuts and near-zero spending in the previous year raise doubts about whether these funds will translate into real benefits for students.
In contrast, schemes such as PM-Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) have received substantial increases, with an allocation of Rs. 303.27 crore in 2026-2027. Critics argue that while skill development and area-based initiatives are important, they cannot replace direct educational support through scholarships and fellowships.
The sharp cuts to minority scholarship schemes highlight growing fears that access to higher education and professional training for minority students is being consistently weakened.
