Govt delay in publishing full list of candidates eligible for Sarathi scholarship keep students pursuing higher studies abroad hanging

Sakshi had applied for the Sayajirao Gaekwad Sarathi assistance this year, which is yet to state a database of selected candidates, adjacent arsenic the courses person already started. The Maharashtra authorities had approved the Sayajirao Gaekwad Sarathi assistance for meritorious students coming from Maratha assemblage to prosecute higher studies abroad.

The scholarship, approved successful July 2023, is for students from Maratha and Kunbi categories from Maharashtra, done Sarthi—a non-profit authorities institution for Marathas. The assistance is fixed to prosecute masters degree, postgraduate diploma (PG diploma), arsenic good arsenic PhD. In the archetypal year, 75 students were expected to payment from the scholarship. However, a authorities solution (GR) declared names of 21 selected candidates, for each courses combined.

“Last year, Sarathi received lone 83 applications. This year, the fig of applications is astir 150 and the seats are 75. The exertion has inactive not been verified by the Sarathi organisation. Directors person not yet had clip to look into this plan. Once this process is completed, the applications spell to the enactment committee successful the Ministry and past the database is prepared, which usually takes a month. If the codification of behaviour comes successful adjacent week, it looks similar this year’s process won’t happen. Students volition beryllium affected by the administrative delay,” said Kuldeep Ambekar from Student Helping Hands.

“Scholarships, specified arsenic Chevening and Commonwealth, commencement their applications a twelvemonth successful advance, which helps arsenic you tin beryllium definite you person a assistance earlier moving abroad. But this was started lone successful the past week of July, which causes changeless anxiousness owed to past infinitesimal procedure,” said Sakshi.

She got her conditional connection missive successful December 2023 and unconditional successful January 2024, portion the Sarathi assistance online exertion and submission of attested documents happened successful the past week of July. She had to wage a deposit to corroborate her admittance by the past week of August, but arsenic the database was not retired yet, she decided to instrumentality a loan.

Other students similar her, who requested not to beryllium named, decided to cancel their admittance arsenic determination was nary confirmation of their assistance status.

Sakshi besides said adjacent if the process starts late, that is not the lone issue, it is besides tedious. “I had submitted each the documents during the archetypal circular and was called to physically taxable self-attested documents successful the Pune office. They conscionable collected my record but didn’t instantly cheque my documents. When it was clip for maine to permission for Europe, they called astatine the eleventh hour, requesting for 1 much document,” she said.

Ashok Kolhe, who handles the survey overseas scholarships for Sarath,i said “There is nary 1 circumstantial crushed for the delay. We had fixed hold connected exertion day and received much applications this year. So we took much clip to process. But this is simply a reimbursement scheme. The students are expected to spell and wage for everything connected their own, nonstop america receipts based connected which we reimburse the amount. I hold that the students should not beryllium kept hanging astir whether they are selected for the assistance oregon not adjacent aft admissions. It is evident they should cognize earlier they permission that they person been selected. But close now, connected our end, we are trying to decorativeness the process successful 2 oregon 3 days and nonstop it up for processing.”