Scholarships awarded to undergraduate engineering students under Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavalamban Yojana (MYSY) dropped by almost one-third within a year, the state government informed the Assembly Friday. However, pointing out that the figures are only till December last year, education department officials claimed the figures will see an increase by the end of the financial year. As many as 24,366 engineering students were awarded scholarships worth Rs 98.92 crore in 2022-23 under the scheme, Minister of State for Education Praful Pansheriya stated in response to a starred question raised by Patan Congress MLA Kirit Patel. The figures, however, dropped to 8,473 students who were given Rs 35.11 crore as of December-end in 2023-24. “Since it is an ongoing process and the data is till December end, the disbursal will increase till the financial year end in March,” a senior education official stated. The minister added that, in the past two years, the state has disbursed assistance worth Rs 134.03 crore to 32,839 undergraduate engineering students in the state as on December 31, 2023 under the MYSY scheme. In 2022-23, Rs 76.27 crore was disbursed among 18,975 male students, while 5,319 female engineering students were given financial assistance worth Rs 22.65 crore. Similarly, in 2023-24, Rs 27.55 crore and Rs 7.65 crore were disbursed among 6,686 male and 1,787 female engineering students respectively. Further, the House was informed that under the scheme in 2022-23, 8,084 medical students received scholarships worth Rs 138.1 crore, of which a major portion — Rs 130 crore — was towards tuition fee assistance. In response to another starred question, the government revealed that private medical colleges charge an annual fee ranging between Rs 5.93 lakh and Rs 8.65 lakh under the government quota and Rs 14.82 lakh to Rs 18.25 lakh under management quota. Nineteen private medical colleges saw no fee hike in the past two years, the government said. Also, Rs 22.16 crore was distributed under the Chief Minister Scholarship Scheme to 917 students in 2023-24. The state government announced MYSY, a fee-waiver/scholarship scheme for poor undergraduate students, in September 2015. The scheme was widely seen as a response to the Patidar agitation for reservation in college education and government jobs. The scholarship is divided into tuition fee grant, hostel grant and book/instruments grant. Under the scheme, non-reserve students will also get financial help for buying books and equipment. Gujarat Board (GSHSEB), CBSE, ICSE, IB and NIOS students who secure 80 percentile in Class 12, and who have an annual family income of up to Rs 6 lakh are eligible to avail the scheme. Under the scheme, medical students get a scholarship of Rs 5 lakh or 50 per cent fee waiver annually, whichever is low, while paramedical students receive Rs 1 lakh or 50 per cent fee waiver. Diploma and degree students in private institutions receive Rs 1 lakh, engineering or professional courses students get Rs 1 lakh and diploma students Rs 50,000 under the scheme. An assistance of Rs 10,000 is given to students in science, commerce and arts streams of government, grant-in-aid and private colleges. Students of dental sciences, homoeopathy, nursing and physiotherapy get a 50 per cent fee waiver or an assistance of Rs 2 lakh, whichever is lesser. Students of Classes X and XII opting for diploma courses with at least 80 percentile marks will qualify for annual assistance of Rs 25,000, or a 50 per cent fee waiver, whichever is lesser. Science, Arts, Commerce and Education students in self-financed colleges will get a 50 per cent fee waiver, or annual assistance of Rs 10,000, whichever is lesser.
