EXPANSION OF ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The Ministry of Education highlighted multiple initiatives to expand academic assistance in higher education. In FY 2025‑26 the Centre provided about 1.09 crore scholarships for post‑matric and higher education, covering OBC/EBC/DNT (36 lakh), SC (48 lakh) and ST (24 lakh) students. The Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) has disbursed loans worth Rs 24,977.62 crore for infrastructure, while the Central Universities received Rs 1,13,943.55 crore in grants (FY 2014‑25 to 2025‑26) and Rs 17,440 crore for FY 2026‑27. The PM‑Vidyalaxmi scheme has sanctioned 1,12,817 collateral‑free loans worth Rs 15,634.78 crore. The One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme gives 7,499 institutions access to over 13,000 journals. Consequently, the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education rose to 30 % in 2023‑24, with notable gains for females, SC and ST groups.