New Delhi: The Union government has granted National Overseas Scholarships (NOS) to 66 students from socially marginalised sections whose provisional letters were earlier withheld citing a lack of funds.

The government’s U-turn in the issue comes after the move had resulted in severe criticism from the Opposition and protests by student groups.

The Union Finance Ministry on Thursday (July 24) informed the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry that the department of expenditure had agreed to provide one-time relaxation and grant Rs. 130 crore for the NOS in 2025-26, reported The Telegraph.

Earlier, the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry had issued provisional scholarship awards to only 40 of the 106 candidates selected candidates for NOS. It had said that letters for the remaining 66 candidates “may be issued… subject to availability of funds”.

The NOS programme was instituted in 1954-55. It provides financial support to students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Denotified Nomadic Tribes (DNT), semi-nomadic tribes, landless agricultural labourers, or traditional artisan categories, with a family income under Rs 8 lakh per annum.

After the government withheld the scholarships of the remaining 66 students selected for the NOS, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had slammed the move, terming it as “not just injustice, it is BJP's open opposition to Bahujan education.”

"The Modi government will have to immediately reverse this inhuman decision and send these 66 students abroad.We will not allow this fundamental right to education to be snatched away from the Bahujans," Gandhi had said.

The NOS is available to students pursuing master's and PhD in top foreign universities and covers tuition fees, living expenses and a one-time round-trip airfare.

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