JAMMU, Aug 18: The All India Backward Classes Federation (AIBCF), J&K unit, has urged the Director, Social Welfare, J&K Government, to ensure immediate disbursement of pending OBC scholarships and undertake wide publicity for the opening of the scholarship portal to ensure that eligible students are able to avail the scheme.
In a press briefing, AIBCF General Secretary Balwant Kataria and President F.C. Satia said the OBC scholarship scheme remained suspended for more than five years, from 2021 to 2025, allegedly due to non-release of funds by the Central Government. They said the scheme was restored in 2025 and advertised by the Social Welfare Department, but only a small number of applications were received.
The AIBCF representatives claimed that against a target of around 8,000 beneficiaries, only 160 applications were received. They said even those students who had applied have reportedly not received their scholarships so far.
The federation stressed that scholarships are time-bound financial support intended to help students meet expenses related to admission, uniforms, books and other educational requirements. It said prolonged delays defeat the very purpose of the scheme and urged the department to release the pending scholarship amounts without further delay.
The AIBCF also expressed serious concern over the low number of applications, questioning the publicity mechanism adopted by the department. It sought an inquiry into why the scholarship scheme failed to reach the targeted beneficiaries and demanded corrective measures to prevent such lapses in the future.
The representatives further urged the authorities to ensure extensive publicity whenever the scholarship portal is opened, particularly through educational institutions and other appropriate channels, so that eligible students and their parents are adequately informed about the scheme, eligibility conditions and application deadlines.
The federation said the issue had created frustration among members of the OBC student community and claimed that the education of many students was being adversely affected due to financial difficulties. It urged the Social Welfare Department to sympathetically examine the matter and take immediate steps to ensure that the benefits reach the intended beneficiaries.
The AIBCF maintained that failure to ensure that welfare benefits reach the targeted sections amounts to denial of their legitimate entitlements and called for an investigation into the reasons behind the poor outreach of the scholarship scheme.
Those associated with the submission included K.K. Fotra, Vice President, and R.K. Chalotra, Vice President, besides other members of the AIBCF J&K unit. The federation appealed to the Social Welfare Department to take urgent action on both the pending scholarship disbursement and the publicity mechanism.