Gujarat colleges urge govt to reopen scholarship portal as thousands of ST students left out

Many Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in Gujarat risk missing out on post-matric scholarships due to incomplete KYC processes on the Digital Gujarat portal for 2023–24 and 2024–25. 

Colleges offering BEd, MSW, BCom, nursing and other courses have approached the Gujarat’s Tribal Development Department, requesting the government to reopen the portal.

Despite multiple deadline extensions, thousands of students, especially from the ST category, could not submit their forms as their KYC details were not linked with banks. As a result, several students have not received any scholarship for the past two academic years.

Earlier, the state had instructed district offices to complete pending work for 2022–23 and 2023–24 through November 30, and for 2024–25 by December 31. While the portal for 2025–26 is open, institutions say many students still cannot apply until pending KYC issues are resolved.