Ministry lists ongoing schemes, no new time-bound plan for expanding education aid
The MP asked the Ministry of Education if the government plans to expand scholarships, hostels, and digital education for economically weaker students and if there is a time-bound action plan. The Ministry responded by detailing existing schemes, financial allocations, and enrollment statistics.
Asked by: Shri Ram Shiromani Verma (MP); Answered by: Ministry of Education (Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi)
- In FY 2025-26, approximately 1.09 crore scholarships were provided for Post-Matric and Higher Education.
- Complete tuition fee waiver is provided at IITs and NITs for SC, ST, PwD, and students with family income below ₹1 lakh; 2/3rd remission for income between ₹1-5 lakh.
- Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) has disbursed ₹24,977.62 crores in loans to Centrally Funded Institutions since 2017.
- Union Budget 2026-27 proposes establishing one Girls' Hostel in every district.
- SWAYAM platform has over 20,000 course deliveries and cumulative enrolments exceeding 6 crores.
- SATHEE portal has registered more than 21 lakh learners for competitive exam preparation.
- One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) provides access to over 13,000 journals for 7,499 institutions.
- PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme (launched Nov 2024) has sanctioned 1,12,817 collateral-free loans totaling ₹15,634.78 crore as of July 2026.
- Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education increased from 23.7 in 2014-15 to 30 in 2023-24.
Written from the document by AI, and checked against it. The original below is authoritative.
The original document
Parliamentary Q&A
03.08.2026
Tap “Open the PDF” above to view this document.
Document details
| Official title | Expansion of Academic Assistance in Higher Education |
| Source body | Parliament of India — Questions & Answers (Lok Sabha, starred) |
| Reference number | LS Q212 (Session 8) |
| Status | closed (question) |
| Year | 03.0 |
| Closing date | — |
| Documents | 1 |