SARTHI’s ₹2.76 Crore Scholarship Scheme For Maratha, Kunbi Students Criticised For Delays, Poor Outreach

Despite the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI), Pune, allocating over ₹2.76 crore in 2024 under the Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh Merit Scholarship for Maratha and Kunbi students pursuing higher education in India, the scheme has come under sharp criticism for its limited reach and delayed disbursal.

Student Helping Hands president Kuldeep Ambekar has accused SARTHI of its flagship domestic scholarship scheme failing to benefit the very persons it was meant for. 

"Apart from a few PhD students and others who are sitting for competitive examinations, the majority of applicants continue to be ignored. Several students have been applying for SARTHI schemes, but still, they are being overlooked. The administrative indifference has frozen the whole system," Ambekar stated.

Students and parents complain that even in 2024, most of those who applied have not been given the money. The father of an M.Tech student from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, who had applied last year in July, said he has been calling SARTHI for months. "Every time they tell me it will be credited within 15 days, but the money has not come yet. I know there are others in the same position," he said.

But SARTHI Managing Director Rajendra Nimbalkar disputed allegations of mass delays. "We are releasing funds to nearly 100% of the students. Only some PhD candidates may still be pending, and that is because the number of applicants in that category has shot up. We are working on new policies to meet this growth," he informed The Free Press Journal.

The programme, which covers students pursuing more than 200 courses in over 200 courses in India — including courses in IITs, IIMs, and Central Universities — was initiated to support underprivileged Kunbi, Maratha-Kunbi and Kunbi-Maratha students pursuing education outside Maharashtra. But its scope extends limited. As per Ambekar, "Administrative apathy has meant that many deserving students are left waiting. It's as if the scholarship is symbolic, not functional."".

There are also charges of failure to promote the scheme. As per official reports, 209 students availed the scheme during 2024, and ₹2.76 crore was released. But figures from earlier years show a spotty implementation. As per sources, though 153 students approached in 2022, the figure declined to 26 in 2023, and not a single application was made in 2021.

The extremely low count of applications indicates the scheme has not been properly publicized," said Ambekar, asserting, "There is no available data on outreach activities through schools, colleges, or local institutions."

Nimbalkar termed these allegations unfounded, adding that the advertisement window for this year has not yet even opened. "The advertising time has not yet arrived. We are still in the process of finalizing new policies. Once they are in place, we will start the advertisement phase in time," he added.