Rs 92 crore scholarships given to 87,000 students in two years

Over 87,000 students have received scholarship under various schemes in the state in the past two years. A total of Rs 92 crore was disbursed among the students as scholarship. “These schemes serve as powerful instruments of social justice, enabling thousands of students from marginalised communities such as Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and economically weaker sections to pursue uninterrupted education,” said a government spokesperson.

As for the state-run scholarship schemes, the Mukhya Mantri scholarship scheme has played a key role in promoting higher education and competitive exam coaching. “Students of Sainik School, Sujanpur Tira and those enrolled in prestigious institutions such as the RIMC have also received targeted support,” the spokesperson said.

He added, “The post-matric scholarship for SC students has emerged as the flagship scheme with an allocation of around Rs 40 crore, which has benefited over 22,500 students. Furthermore, scholarships for students with disabilities have ensured that no section of society is overlooked.”

The spokesperson said that the financial support was just one facet of the broader educational renaissance the state was witnessing. “Reforms in the education sector done by the state government have yielded tangible results. The state has catapulted from 21st rank to the first position in the national rankings for reading and learning levels as per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released in January 2025,” he added. Besides, the state received national acclaim for its exemplary implementation of the Pradhan Mantri SHRI Yojana, he claimed.

The spokesperson said that the state government had fulfilled its promise of introducing English-medium education from Class I. The establishment of Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding schools in every Assembly constituency was underway, which aimed at providing world-class infrastructure and a holistic learning environment to children.

“To ensure that financial constraints do not hinder academic aspirations, the government launched Dr YS Parmar Vidyarthi Rin Yojana, under which loans of up to Rs 20 lakh at just one per cent interest is being provided to bona fide Himachali students from economically weaker sections,” he added.

He said that the government had organised exposure visits of meritorious students and teachers to Singapore, Cambodia and educationally advanced Indian states like Kerala. “The Central Government has acknowledged the merit of these initiatives, a rare bipartisan recognition,” he added.