New Delhi: Students from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities face a new hurdle as the Maharashtra government has enforced stringent eligibility criteria for the Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Scholarship, designed to support marginalised students pursuing an education abroad.
Under the revised guidelines, applicants must now achieve over 75% in their Secondary School Certificate, Higher Secondary Certificate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, marking a significant increase from the previous thresholds of 55% for SC students and 60% for OBC students. The introduction of an income cap of Rs 8 lakh per family and annual funding limits of Rs 30 lakh for master’s degrees and Rs 40 lakh for PhD programmes have also been announced.
Every year, 75 students each from SC and OBC categories are selected for the scholarship from a pool of approximately 500 applicants. This scholarship has been a lifeline for many first-generation learners, enabling them to study abroad and improve their families’ economic situations. However, the stricter requirements could now exclude many students from economically and socially challenging backgrounds. Ajinkya, who lives with his mother and brother, manages his household under Rs 7 lakh after his father’s death. As an alumni of the Tata Institute for Social Sciences, he has received offers from both Manchester University and University College London to pursue a master’s degree in social research, but now he fears his dreams will be shattered by a mere 2% gap in fulfilling the new criteria. “This policy is discriminatory. For students like us, getting 60-70% is a big deal. If we had AC rooms too, imagine what we could do,” he said.
Vikas Tatad, a former beneficiary of the scholarship, is currently studying in the international and comparative education programme at Columbia University. Growing up in a slum, he was inspired by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, who also studied at Columbia. He called the change in the scheme “irrational” and said it “defeats the purpose” of the scholarship. The introduction of a clause that limits beneficiaries to receiving the scholarship only once has made his prospects of continuing with a PhD at Columbia uncertain.
“Throughout these two years, I had planned, grown a network and gained skills in hopes that the government would have my back. Now I’m at the end of my course, but with the change in policy, I don’t know what will happen next,” Tatad explained. Despite acknowledging the significant help the scheme provided, he expressed concerns over the government’s annual cap of Rs 30 lakh for master’s degrees and Rs 40 lakh for PhD degrees. “My yearly expenses ranged from Rs 70-90 lakh, with Rs 50-70 lakh for tuition alone. My visa was rejected four times because nobody would give a loan to a farmer’s son whose home itself is constructed on government land.”
Raju Kendre, an Indian educator and social activist known for his work in enhancing education and development in the rural and tribal regions of Central India, also weighed in. As the founder of the Eklavya Global Scholars Program, which supports students from underprivileged backgrounds, particularly in rural Maharashtra, he guides them towards higher educational opportunities.
He said, “If someone is already admitted to top-tier universities like Harvard or LSE, criteria such as 75% become gatekeeping barriers for students from historically marginalised communities. This reflects the elitist, meritocratic approach embedded in our policy systems. If a foreign university deems a student eligible, why impose a cap based on percentage?”
Kendre urged the government to view these students not just as financial aid beneficiaries but as future leaders. “Treat them as global scholars, like those supported by platforms such as Rhodes, Fulbright, Chevening, DAAD and Commonwealth. These scholars are the future assets of our nation. Ultimately, we should invest in this human resource.”
Moreover, the government has faced criticism for delayed fund releases, which led to the Shahu Maharaj Scholarship being suspended at the University of South Wales, Australia. The timing of scholarship advertisements, typically released two-three months before the degree starts, severely limits students’ chances of finding alternative funding sources. And now, with the government tightening rules around the scholarship, many students are left uncertain about their future educational prospects.
Sanchita Bakshi is an intern at The Wire.
