Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Saturday claimed that there is a significant decline in the number of students receiving scholarships under the Scheduled Caste scholarship scheme in the national capital, and termed the AAP government “anti-Dalit”. He demanded the city government to look into the matter and take appropriate steps.

Accusing the AAP of being “anti-Dalit”, he said the party claims to be a benefactor of Dalits, but the truth is that it acts against their interests. He claimed that in the academic year 2023–24, the AAP government provided scholarships under the Scheduled Caste scholarship scheme to only 79 pre-matric (Class 9–10) and 387 post-matric (Class 11–12) SC students. In comparison, the numbers in 2022 were 1,011 and 1,956, respectively.

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Gupta noted that the Central government bears 60 per cent of the scheme’s funding, and the Delhi government contributes 40 per cent. However, in 2023–24, out of 1,568 applications for pre-matric scholarships, only 79 were accepted, and out of 6,436 applications for post-matric scholarships, only 387 were approved. Many applications were rejected for trivial reasons, leaving students without financial aid.

Blaming the AAP government for the decline in number of students benefiting from the scheme, he said due to the ruling dispensation’s negligence and apathy, students are unable to access the Central government-funded scheme. He alleged that depriving Delhi residents of benefits from Central government schemes is a long-standing tendency of the AAP government.

Earlier, in a letter addressed to Chief Minister Atishi, he stated that the financial aid under this scheme is a significant support for SC students and urged to take necessary and effective steps to ensure that more students benefit from the scheme and complete their education without obstacles.