A critical government initiative, the Free Coaching for SCs and OBCs scheme, has significantly underperformed its enrolment targets, according to a recent parliamentary panel report. Designed to assist economically disadvantaged students from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backwards Classes (OBC) communities in preparing for competitive examinations, the program managed to enrol only 2,790 students against a goal of 10,500 over the past three years.
Enrolment Falls Far Short of Ambitions
The parliamentary committee's assessment highlights a stark disparity between the scheme's objectives and its actual reach. In the financial year 2023-24, only 223 students were enrolled. This figure slightly improved to 2,136 in 2024-25, before dropping again to 431 in 2025-26. These combined enrolments represent less than 27% of the intended target, raising serious questions about the scheme's effectiveness and implementation.
Panel Expresses Dissatisfaction with Explanations
The report indicates the parliamentary panel's dissatisfaction with the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment's explanations for the poor performance. Key issues cited include limited engagement from Central universities and persistent delays in receiving proposals for the coaching program. Despite structural changes, such as designating the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation as the Central Nodal Agency, the physical performance of the scheme has remained consistently low.
The committee has strongly recommended several improvements, urging for the prompt implementation of proposed changes. These include encouraging participation from State universities and adopting a more student-centric model to better serve the target beneficiaries.
Financial Performance Also Under Scrutiny
Beyond enrolment figures, the parliamentary panel also raised significant concerns regarding the financial management and utilization of funds allocated to the scheme. In 2023-24, against a Budget Estimate of ₹47 crore, the actual expenditure was a mere ₹7.76 crore. While the Ministry claimed a positive trend in subsequent years, the budget allocations were also significantly reduced, suggesting a recognition of the underutilization.
For instance, the Budget Estimate was cut to ₹35 crore in 2024-25, with actual spending at ₹17.68 crore. The allocation for 2025-26 saw a further reduction to ₹20 crore, with expenditure reported around ₹7.11 crore by the committee, though the Ministry reported ₹9.866 crore.
New Targets Questioned Amidst Past Failures
Despite the scheme's past struggles, the government has set an ambitious new target of enrolling 7,000 candidates for 2026-27. The parliamentary committee expressed puzzlement over this decision, questioning the rationale behind setting a significantly higher target when previous, smaller targets remained unmet. The panel stated, “The Committee also does not understand the reason for fixing a target of 7,000, which is double the previous target, particularly when the target fixed earlier is not being achieved.”
Furthermore, the committee has advocated for a review of the annual family-income ceiling, currently set at ₹8 lakh. The aim is to potentially expand eligibility criteria, allowing more deserving candidates to benefit from this crucial educational support program.