FGG urges Telangana government to review Overseas Vidya Nidhi scholarship
HYDERABAD: Forum for Good Governance (FGG) has urged the Telangana government to review the Mahatma Jyothiba Phule and Ambedkar Overseas Vidya Nidhi schemes, citing misuse of eligibility norms, limited outcomes and changing higher-education opportunities within India.
In a letter addressed to the chief minister on November 13, 2025, FGG president M Padmanabha Reddy said the scheme introduced in 2013 to support students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled, Backward Classes, Economically Backward Classes and minority communities was no longer aligned with current educational policy and infrastructure developments.
Group flags alleged misuse of income criteria
Reddy stated that the government designed the income limit of less than ₹5 lakh per annum to ensure that only poor students benefited. “However, the selection process favors rich people and those with political connections,” the letter stated.
He noted that the government bears up to ₹25 lakh per student for study abroad. Since inception, about 5,000 students have travelled to countries such as the UK, Australia, Singapore, South Korea and Germany. The state has spent nearly ₹1,200 crore on scholarships for all categories.
‘No system to track students returning to India’
FGG said departments had no information on whether students returned to India after completing their courses and that there were no support systems to help them use their acquired skills. The organisation cited correspondence from the Backward Class Welfare Department and the SC Development Department in 2024 and 2025 highlighting the absence of such data.
The submission also questioned the inclusion of subjects such as humanities, economics, arts, accounts and law, arguing that law degrees from countries like the Philippines or South Korea may not be useful in India.
Calls for shift toward global campuses within India
The group pointed to developments under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, including University Grants Commission recommendations for foreign university campuses and new institutes already opening in Gurugram, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and the National Capital Region.
The report noted that during the UK prime minister’s recent visit, they reached an agreement to allow top British universities to set up campuses in India. The chief minister also stated that Hyderabad was poised to become a global education hub, according to the report.
“With access to international quality education at affordable cost in the country, government should encourage students for higher education within the country by paying all the expenses,” the letter said.
FGG seeks policy rethink
Reddy said the scheme’s purpose in 2013 may no longer be relevant. The group requested the chief minister to re-examine the Overseas Vidya Nidhi and take steps to help poor students secure seats in foreign universities establishing campuses in India.
