look news india
These days, thousands of students who are dreaming of higher education with the help of Bihar Government’s ambitious ‘Student Credit Card’ (BSCC) scheme are desperate for every penny. The surprising thing is that despite getting official approval from the Education Finance Corporation, the amount has not been paid yet to more than 58 thousand students of the state. This government laxity has given sleepless nights to the students and their parents. Due to the beginning of the new session, many helpless parents have to pay the fees of educational institutions by taking loans at heavy interest, while there are many poor families who are not even in a position to take loans and their children are on the verge of dropping out of education.
Payment of ₹ 6000 crore missing from the sanctioned amount, figures testify
According to information received from departmental sources, out of the total amount sanctioned under the Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, payment of more than Rs 6 thousand crore is still pending. The government has approved a total amount of more than Rs 15,000 crore on paper for the needy students, but only Rs 9,000 crore has been actually distributed on the ground.
It is noteworthy that under the new administrative system, now the entire operation of this scheme, approval and payment of loan is being done through ‘Bihar State Education Finance Corporation’. Due to this complicated process of give and take, the money of 58 thousand children is stuck, while there are more than 1 lakh students who applied for the loan, but their forms were rejected citing various technical reasons.
The scheme was started on Gandhi Jayanti, 5.57 lakh students showed hope in 5 years
This far-reaching scheme was launched on the special initiative of former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October 2016 to improve the standard of higher education and reduce the drop-out rate. In the first two years, due to lack of wide publicity and awareness, only 23,748 applications were received by the government, out of which only 14,804 applications were cleared and Rs 442 crore was sanctioned.
But in the last 5 years, this scheme gained momentum and a record 5.57 lakh students applied online for student credit card. Out of these, a total of 4.73 lakh applications were approved and a huge amount of Rs 14,567 crore was allotted. But the truth is that out of these, the actual payment of ₹8,866 crore could reach the accounts of only 4.15 lakh children.
Last year (2025-26) got a bumper response of 130%, but this year the situation is worse.
In the financial year 2025-26, tremendous enthusiasm was seen among the youth of Bihar regarding this scheme and more applications were approved than the target. Last year’s annual target was to benefit 95,220 children, against which 1,24,359 children applied for loans, which was 130 percent of the target. The government also showed generosity and approved 97,580 applications, exceeding the target, and prepared a roadmap for distributing Rs 3,344 crore.
But the situation of the current year (2026) is extremely worrying and scary. So far this year, only 12,967 new applications have been approved by the Education Department, due to which questions are being raised on the intentions of the government.
See the complete student credit card report card at a glance:
| Details (from inception to now) | total number/amount |
|---|---|
| Total applications received | 5,81,602 |
| accepted applications | 4,88,392 |
| Total amount approved by the government | ₹15,010 crore |
| actual applicants who received money | 4,30,742 |
| total amount distributed on land | ₹9,023 crore |
“No one’s education will stop due to lack of money” assures Higher Education Minister
Amidst the political turmoil over this entire matter and the increasing anger of the students, Bihar’s Higher Education Minister Sanjay Singh Tiger has defended the government. Assuring the media, he said, “The higher education of any promising child of Bihar will not be allowed to be disrupted due to lack of money. On the instructions of the Chief Minister, our department is thoroughly reviewing the entire matter. Whatever problems are arising due to budget allocation and technical shortcomings, permanent solutions will be found soon. The real benefit of the Student Credit Card Scheme will definitely reach every needy and poor student.” Now it remains to be seen how long will this assurance of the Minister come to fruition and when will the money come into the accounts of the students.
