This state was the biggest beneficiary of Centre’s ‘Padho Pardesh’ minority scholarship scheme

Across the last eight years for which data is available (2014-15 to 2021-22), a total of 20,365 students availed the Padho Pardesh interest subsidy.

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The Union government has discontinued the Padho Pardesh interest-subsidy scheme for minority students pursuing higher education abroad, with Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju informing Parliament that the scheme was found to have “limited benefits” and significant overlap with other ongoing programmes. Responding to a written question, Rijiju said the Ministry observed that students from minority communities already have access to low-interest education loans through the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC), a PSU under the Ministry, reducing the need for a separate subsidy mechanism.

According to the Minister, the NMDFC offers educational loans specifically for overseas study at comparatively lower interest rates. Given this, along with duplication of benefits and the limited impact of Padho Pardesh, the scheme “has been discontinued from 2022-23”.

Kerala emerged as the biggest beneficiary

Government data tabled in Parliament shows that since the scheme’s inception, Kerala consistently recorded the highest number of beneficiaries every year. The state’s numbers rose sharply — from 415 students in 2014-15 to 3,359 in 2021-22, marking the steepest growth among all beneficiary states.

In comparison, other states recorded far smaller numbers.

Uttar Pradesh saw beneficiaries range between 21 and 36 annually, dropping to 15 in 2021-22.

Haryana registered very low participation, with yearly figures fluctuating between 12 and 20.

Bihar recorded single-digit or near-single-digit numbers throughout, with its highest count being just 12 students in 2019-20.

Tamil Nadu, another southern state, also saw moderate participation: its annual beneficiary count remained between 101 and 155, before declining to 108 in 2021-22.

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Year-wise beneficiaries under the Padho Pardesh scheme (2014 to 22)

State	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22
Kerala	415	679	688	715	1138	1734	2236	3359
Tamil Nadu	101	130	120	108	147	155	133	108
Haryana	18	20	16	13	17	15	14	12
Bihar	3	4	4	2	8	12	11	8
Uttar Pradesh	21	35	35	33	31	36	30	15
Total	1,083	1,779	1,781	1,711	2,495	3,238	3,656	4,622

Across the last eight years for which data is available (2014-15 to 2021-22), a total of 20,365 students availed the Padho Pardesh interest subsidy.

Although the government cited “limited benefits” and scheme overlap as reasons for discontinuation, 2021-22 — the final year of disbursal— recorded the highest number of beneficiaries at 4,622, marking the programme’s peak usage before it was phased out.