JAIPUR: Students aspiring to pursue higher education abroad through the Swami Vivekananda Scholarship for Academic Excellence in Rajasthan are facing significant challenges due to recent directives by the state government.Formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship for Academic Excellence, this scheme was introduced by the previous Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government to provide scholarships to state residents keen to pursue higher studies abroad.After their selection, the students are now asked to submit documents proving their family’s property ownership. While some have managed to produce notarised property documents, poor students without any assets are unable to get the financial support necessary to pursue studies abroad.Parents and guardians have strongly opposed these new rules, calling them unfair and contradictory. In addition to the property documents, the government is also demanding a personal guarantee from a gazetted officer.Students and families argue that this condition is both unreasonable and discriminatory, as officers are often unwilling to sign guarantees for students they don’t know personally.Even those who have managed to travel abroad under the scheme are encountering fresh challenges. Students report significant delays in the disbursement of scholarship funds, forcing them to struggle for necessities such as food and housing.Launched under the Ashok Gehlot government as the Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship for Academic Excellence, the scheme aimed to fully cover tuition and living expenses for academically strong students from modest backgrounds seeking education abroad.After the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led government took office in December 2023, the programme was rebranded as the Swami Vivekananda Scholarship, and its scope was significantly reduced. The original target of sending 500 students abroad was lowered to 300, while another 200 students were allocated seats in prestigious Indian institutions.In 2024, families of several beneficiaries alleged that the government had abruptly stopped the flow of funds, leaving students abroad to fend for themselves. In the state Assembly, LoP Tikaram Jully even claimed that a few students had to beg due to delayed scholarship disbursements — a charge the government officially denied.
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