CM Yogi to distribute Rs 126.68 crore to over 4.83 lakh students in 2nd phase of scholarship drive

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will personally oversee the direct transfer of scholarships to the bank accounts of lakhs of students during a ceremony organised by the Backward Class Welfare Department here on Friday.

For the first time, under the CM’s direction, the scholarship distribution for the 2025–26 financial year began in September itself. In the first phase, around Rs 62.13 crore was distributed to benefit over 2.5 lakh OBC students from classes 9 to 12. In the second phase, scheduled for Friday, Rs 126.68 crore will be transferred to more than 4.83 lakh students.

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Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Backward Class Welfare and Divyangjan Empowerment, Narendra Kashyap, said, “Only when the youth of the state are educated can the vision of Viksit Bharat–Viksit Uttar Pradesh be realised.”

He stated that the state government’s objective is to ensure that no talented student is deprived of education due to financial constraints. The government has streamlined the process of scholarship and fee reimbursement for students from disadvantaged and economically weaker sections, making it faster, more transparent, and fully digital.

Under this system, for the first time in the financial year 2025–26, the scholarship distribution began as early as September.

He further said that in the year 2016–17, the budget of the Backward Class Welfare Department was Rs 1295 crore, which has now been increased to Rs 3124.45 crore in the current financial year 2025–26, indicating more than 2.5 times increase.

Even the budget for scholarship and fee reimbursement schemes has seen a remarkable rise. In 2016–17, it was Rs 1092.36 crore, which has now increased to Rs 2825 crore. He added that scholarship distribution is now done entirely online through DBT to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts, enhancing both transparency and efficiency in the process.

These initiatives aim to make youth from every community self-reliant and to ensure equal opportunities in society through education.