Pre-matric scholarship delayed again, ST/SC hostels in Odisha's Sundargarh struggle

ROURKELA: Government schools in Sundargarh district are struggling to run the ST/SC hostels due to delay in release of pre-matric scholarship of around 49,000 students. The monthly scholarship amount is used to meet mess expenditure of hostels including lentils, vegetables, non-vegetarian items, edible oil, spices and fuel cost.

Under compulsion to run the hostels, headmasters and headmistresses of these schools are resorting to borrowing and personal spending to meet the expenditure with a hope of getting reimbursement later. Sources said schools are yet to receive the scholarship amount for the month of April of around 49,000 ST and SC hostel students from Class I to X.

Now in the second week of May, the school authorities are faced with mounting financial burden. Requesting anonymity, some headmasters said they are under tremendous pressure as suppliers of food items are insisting on clearing dues of April. Some of the suppliers are even threatening to stop supply.

The State government provides each ST/SC girl student Rs 800 per month as pre-matric scholarship while the amount is Rs 750 each for boys. The district has around 49,000 ST/SC boarders of which nearly 7,000 have left the hostels after May 7 on completion of matriculation examination. 

District welfare officer Pabitra Mohan Pradhan said the quota of rice has been provided to the hostels till September and school authorities have been advised to use the available unspent scholarship deposit. Pradhan hoped that the government will release the outstanding scholarship fund soon.

Sources said many schools have zero unspent scholarship fund while others have too less amount to manage the accruing mess expenditure. Meanwhile, around 34,000 ST/SC students of Class IX and X have also not received another pre-matric scholarship meant to support their studies due to technical reasons.

The scholarship is released as a one-time payment ranging from Rs 2,250 to Rs 7,250.