The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment is implementing the National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Caste and other candidates to enable them to study abroad. Under the scheme financial assistance is provided to the selected students from Scheduled Castes, De-notified Nomadic & Semi – Nomadic Tribes, landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisan categories for pursuing higher studies at Masters and Ph.D level courses abroad. From 2014-15, a total of 100 slots per year are available under the Scheme as against 60 slots available earlier. The Scheme provides for payment of tuition fees charged by the institutions as per actuals, maintenance allowance, air passage, visa fee, insurance premium, annual contingency allowance and incidental journey allowance.
The details of the number of Scheduled Caste candidates who went abroad for studying under the scheme and funds allocated during the last five years is as under:
| Year | Number of candidates selected | Number of candidates who went abroad in the Financial Year | Funds Allocated
(Budget Estimate) (Rs. in Crore) |
| 2015-16 | 50 | 19 | 6.12 |
| 2016-17 | 108* | 23 | 15.00 |
| 2017-18 | 183* | 32 | 15.00 |
| 2018-19 | 100 | 56 | 15.00 |
| 2019-20 | 100 | 63 | 20.00 |
* Vacant slots of previous year were carried over.
This information was given by Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri ThaawarchandGehlotin a written reply in RajyaSabha today.
