The Karnataka government will clear around ₹100 crore in pending minority scholarships, Minister for Minorities Welfare, Waqf and Haj U.T. Khader said on Tuesday, announcing measures to address students’ grievances and improve access to education.
The department plans to distribute ₹494.71 crore in scholarships and financial assistance to students from class 1 to PhD this year. The allocation is ₹440 crore, but the department is prepared to explore additional funding if applications exceed the available budget, he said.
Helpline
The department would also introduce an online helpline for students who have not received their scholarships or have complaints about the process.
Students could call 82777 99990 to register their grievances. The department would collect their details, track the cases and respond, Mr. Khader said. A ‘Minority Mitra’ mobile application is also planned in order to receive public complaints on matters handled by the department.
Skill training
The department was planning additional educational initiatives, including skill training to improve employment prospects, language laboratories and an artificial intelligence-based learning system to guide students according to their interests.
The department would also change the way NEET coaching is delivered to students in classes 9 and 10. Instead of relying only on online classes, teachers would visit schools to conduct offline coaching for a specified number of hours each week.
Shishunala Sharif schools
The department has also drawn up plans to establish new Shishunala Sharif schools after assessing local needs and accessibility for students.
The government plans to lay the foundation stone for 100 schools at an estimated cost of ₹800 crore by the end of November. Construction of 77 schools taken up earlier is in its final stages, and these are also expected to be inaugurated by the end of November, Mr. Khader said.
Extension of deadline
The State government has asked the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) to extend the deadline for fee payment as thousands of students await reimbursement under a Minorities Welfare Department scheme, Minister U.T. Khader said.
More than 13,000 students applied for assistance this year, with the total fee requirement estimated at around ₹30 crore. The department has selected 8,086 students this year, compared with about 5,000 last year.
The scheme, introduced to help minority students pursue further education through correspondence courses, has run into financial constraints because the commitment extends beyond the first year of a course.
Over 5,000 applied last year
Last year, around 5,328 students applied, with the requirement estimated at ₹10 crore to ₹12 crore against an allocation of ₹5 crore. Additional funds were arranged to meet the shortfall. This year, the action plan provided ₹5 crore, even as applications rose sharply.
Mr. Khader said the government had requested KSOU to extend the fee-payment deadline and would work out the finances, subject to the necessary approvals. The university, which comes under the University Grants Commission, must also comply with its norms.
The department would frame clearer eligibility criteria, including the relevance of the postgraduate course to the student’s undergraduate qualification. Mr. Khader acknowledged that students had applied without being adequately informed about the budgetary limits and said the government would work towards a more sustainable system.
Published - October 13, 2026 07:52 pm IST