Not trueRahul Gandhichecked 30 Sept 2026“over 1.5 crore students have been deprived of scholarship”
over 1.5 crore students, 48,04,208
What the evidence showsHide the evidence
What they said
over 1.5 crore students
Rahul Gandhi said that over 1.5 crore students in India have been deprived of scholarships, presenting data on a slide show at the Chhatron Ki Goonj event in Indore.
freepressjournal.in, checked 30 Sept 2026
What is actually true
48,04,208
SC post-matric scholarship beneficiaries, PIB, 2024-25
pib.gov.in
The Press Information Bureau (PIB), the government's official release, says the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes benefited 48,04,208 students in 2024-25, with central assistance of ₹5,562.23 crore, and the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme benefited over 26 lakh SC students with ₹562.36 crore. It does not state that 1.5 crore students were deprived of scholarships.
- The PIB release says 48,04,208 Scheduled Caste students received post-matric scholarships in 2024-25, with central assistance of ₹5,562.23 crore. [2]
- The same release says over 26 lakh Scheduled Caste students received pre-matric scholarships, with central assistance of ₹562.36 crore. [2]
- The SBI Foundation's Asha Scholarship 2026-27 is open for applications and offers aid from ₹15,000 to ₹15 lakh; it does not mention 1.5 crore students deprived of scholarships. [1]
[1] SBI Scholarship 2026: How students can cut education costs by up to Rs 15 lakh; check details — moneycontrol.com[2] Press Release Page | Press Information Bureau — pib.gov.in
The claim's figure of over 1.5 crore students deprived of scholarships does not appear in the official record. The PIB release on scholarship schemes shows lakhs of students received scholarships, not that 1.5 crore were deprived. The SBI article is about a private scholarship open for applications and also does not support the claim.