TVK govt faces flak over Ambedkar scholarship delay; govt denies allegations

The Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) government in Tamil Nadu has faced criticism over allegations that the social justice department has delayed disbursing the ‘Annal Ambedkar Overseas Scholarship’ to several SC/ST students who secured admission to foreign universities this year. However, the department has denied any delay.

The issue came to light after an activist filed an RTI application, which revealed that the government had selected 365 candidates for the academic year 2026-27. Of these, 164 students had joined foreign universities, but scholarships had been disbursed to only 65, according to an RTI response dated November 5.

The controversy comes hot on the heels of another dispute in September, when Bharathidasan Raman, a PhD scholar at the National University of Malaysia, alleged that his scholarship funds had been delayed. Following backlash from several quarters, the social justice department eventually addressed the issue.

The scheme provides financial assistance of up to Rs 36 lakh a year to SC/ST students from families with an annual income below Rs 8 lakh who pursue postgraduate or doctoral studies abroad. In its budget this year, the TVK government doubled the allocation for the scheme to Rs 131 crore and increased the number of beneficiaries. However, reports that more than half of the students who have joined foreign universities are yet to receive the scholarship have drawn criticism from opposition parties.

Also read: Vijay govt completes six months; now it must sail through choppy waters

Opposition parties flay government

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and former chief minister MK Stalin on Friday questioned why the TVK government was allegedly displaying animosity towards a scheme named after BR Ambedkar. He asked why funds weren’t released despite students submitting the required documents.

“Why are you subjecting students to unnecessary hardship and mental distress?” Stalin asked. Claiming that the DMK government had implemented the scheme effectively, he accused the TVK government of attempting to dismantle it. “The “social justice” explicitly included in the very name of the department is nowhere to be seen in its actual implementation,” he accused.

Toeing a similar line, deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said parents who had sent their children abroad under the scheme were now being forced to pawn their jewellery and take high-interest loans to pay tuition fees. Instead of shifting the blame onto students or making excuses, the Chief Minister should immediately release the pending scholarship amounts, he said.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) general secretary TTV Dhinakaran also criticised the government, questioning its commitment to social justice. “The TVK government refuses to allocate funds even for a scheme named after its own ideological leader. Where is the “social justice” in the coalition formed under TVK’s leadership?” he asked.

Referring to the earlier controversy involving Bharathidasan Raman, Dhinakaran alleged that the government had made contradictory statements in the assembly and subjected the scholar to mental distress by failing to release the funds on time. The amount was released only after Raman posted a video with supporting evidence and opposition parties raised the issue, he alleged.

Also read: Cult figure, but cautious ruler: Vijay completes 6 months as TN Chief Minister

Social justice department denies allegations

The social justice department denied any delay. Of the 165 students enrolled, 140 had submitted their admission and university funding details on the department’s website. So far, Rs 30.24 crore has been released towards tuition fees and other expenses for 84 students. The remaining 56 students who applied online have been asked to furnish their bank account details, while 25 students are yet to submit applications through the website, the department said.

A senior social justice department official told The Federal that the process involved more than students updating their details. “Universities have to issue invoices specifying the students’ fees and their bank account details. This takes two to three weeks after students join the university, sometimes even longer. Once the invoice containing the tuition fee and the university’s bank account details is issued, students upload it on the Adi Dravidar Welfare department’s scholarship portal,” the official said.

Citing two cases involving students who joined foreign universities this year, the official said, “One student joined a university on September 26, but the invoice was generated by the university only on November 5. In another case, the student joined on September 23, while the university generated the invoice on 20 October.”

The official also said that, for the first time, the department had arranged for an advance amount to be credited directly to students’ bank accounts before they joined the universities to meet their initial expenses.

This amount would be adjusted against the scholarship when the funds were released, the official added.