Bihar: Delays in Post-Matric and NMMS scholarships for thousands attributed to technological issues and a lack of personnel.
NEW DELHI: In Bihar, rural students face several challenges when applying for Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarships. It is essential that all documentation and online records are consistent, the Bihar government’s Medhasoft portal operates without issues, students possess Android smartphones, and ideally, they should not have siblings.
The Medhasoft portal, which the government utilizes to manage student and school information, permits only one application per phone number. In many rural regions of Bihar, families often share a single phone. Consequently, if siblings have already submitted scholarship applications, the other cannot apply.
Each student is assigned a unique user ID for application purposes. This requires OTP verification, which necessitates the use of Android devices. In certain areas of Bihar, families may only have one phone. Additionally, only one registration is allowed per mobile number. Therefore, if a family has four children, only one can register, leaving the others unable to apply for scholarships,” explained a program manager from a non-profit organization, who requested anonymity.
However, even for an only child, there is no assurance of successfully obtaining scholarships. For the National Means cum Merit Scholarship (NMMS or NMCM scholarship), the portal lacks a correction feature. This means that any minor error in the application prevents reapplication for the entire year. The Pre-Matric Scholarship provides Rs 3,500 annually, while the NMMS scholarship offers Rs 12,000 per year.
The portal frequently malfunctions.
There are numerous errors, the website operates slowly, and applications are often not saved. Even when applications are saved, the government currently lacks the resources to verify all submissions… every year, two to three crore applications are submitted, impacting hundreds of thousands of students,” they noted. The non-profit collaborates with the Bihar government on various initiatives.
Numerous students, particularly those residing in rural regions, face significant challenges in accessing Bihar scholarships due to ongoing software malfunctions, fluctuating and inconsistent documentation requirements, inadequate grievance redressal mechanisms, and insufficient personnel at the block level, as reported by activists working with marginalized children in Patna and Kishanganj districts. A non-profit organization successfully assisted 1,200 students in applying for the Post-Matric Scholarship 2023; however, their applications remain unverified.
As a result, some organizations, including the Azad India Foundation, have ceased their efforts to assist students with central government scholarships, opting instead to concentrate on the limited state-run options available. Others have completely withdrawn from this support.
The Medhasoft portal and Bihar scholarships present additional challenges.
The online application process itself poses a significant obstacle. “While transitioning to a paperless system is commendable, it is essential to establish robust systems and mechanisms beforehand. In remote rural areas, access to the Internet is often nonexistent. Students must locate an Internet café and seek assistance to download the application form, which can be a time-consuming process,” stated Beena Pallickal from the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR).
Furthermore, even a minor mistake on the PMS and NMMS scholarship portal can lead to application rejection. The most frequent reason for rejection is discrepancies in names or details across various documents. “With everything being online, applicants must upload their documents, ensuring that their Aadhar card matches their certificates and that their names correspond with those in the register. There are numerous issues to navigate. While those with access to resources can rectify these problems, the underprivileged often cannot. Many of these students are first-generation learners without familial support,” explained Yurman Hussain from the Azad India Foundation.
Additionally, there is a notable lack of clarity regarding the required documentation
. The state government occasionally requests supplementary documents during the verification process. “There are no clear guidelines indicating the necessity for such an extensive array of documents.”
The government must identify the obstacles and devise strategies to address them
It is essential to provide options for both online and offline submission of forms. Transitioning entirely to a digital system without alternative methods can undermine the fundamental goal of facilitating access to scholarships, stated Pallickal.
Delays in the verification of scholarship applications have been reported.
Some individuals noted that these challenges existed even before the digitization process. Presently, in Bihar, there is no centralized department responsible for scholarships. Each year, the task of verifying documents is assigned to different departments.
Each year, the responsibility shifts to a different department
One year it was the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the next it was a department focused on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, which often have limited resources due to their other obligations. District nodal officers are burdened not only with scholarship oversight but also with various other developmental responsibilities. The volume of scholarship applications is so substantial that it requires dedicated personnel,” explained the programme manager.
“Due to a lack of resources, the state struggles to verify all applications. Currently, verifications are ongoing in several regions, and it has been over a year since the process began. As the verification progresses, scholarships are gradually being disbursed,” they added.
Furthermore, verifications are conducted at the district level instead of the block level. Activists have expressed concerns regarding the government’s lack of responsiveness to follow-ups, noting that the release of scholarships is often delayed. Some organizations have reduced their efforts in assisting students with scholarship applications.
“When examining the block level, there are approximately 50,000 applications. It is not feasible to verify all these applications within a month. Therefore, a system should be established at the block level to facilitate the verification process. We have made numerous attempts to follow up on this matter, but the government operates at its own pace,” the programme manager remarked.
“They tend to dismiss concerns with excuses and often do not address certain complaints.”
