SHREYAS: Rs 3,509 Crore Spent Across Four Components Since 2014-15

1
Component-wise SHREYAS figures were published for 2014-15 to 2025-26: cumulative expenditure of about Rs 3,509.39 crore and 1,18,248 beneficiaries.
2
SHREYAS is an umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment with four central sector components for SC and OBC students.
3
The National Fellowship for SC Students is the largest component by both spending and beneficiaries.

●SHREYAS = Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme, an umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment for SC and OBC students, in place since 2014
●Its four central sector components: Free Coaching for SCs and OBCs, Top Class Education for SCs, National Overseas Scholarship for SCs, and National Fellowship for SC Students
●Cumulative expenditure 2014-15 to 2025-26: about Rs 3,509.39 crore, with 1,18,248 beneficiaries
●National Fellowship for SC Students is the largest component — Rs 2,199.28 crore and 59,039 beneficiaries; it supports M.Phil and Ph.D. level research
●Top Class Education: Rs 703.44 crore and 35,237 beneficiaries; the Rs 117.19 crore spent in 2025-26 was the period's highest annual figure
●National Overseas Scholarship: Rs 461.57 crore; 764 students went abroad, rising from 20 in 2014-15 to a peak of 114 in 2023-24
●Free Coaching: Rs 145.10 crore and 23,208 beneficiaries, for competitive and entrance examinations
●Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment: Dr Virendra Kumar

upsc

GS Paper 2 > Governance > Welfare Schemes for Scheduled Castes and OBCs

SHREYAS

Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme — an umbrella of four central sector scholarship schemes for SC and OBC students.

Central sector scheme

A scheme fully funded and implemented by the Union Government, as distinct from a centrally sponsored scheme shared with the states.

•SHREYAS is run by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and has four components: Free Coaching, Top Class Education, National Overseas Scholarship and National Fellowship for SC Students
•Cumulative 2014-15 to 2025-26: Rs 3,509.39 crore and 1,18,248 beneficiaries
•National Fellowship for SC Students is the largest component at Rs 2,199.28 crore; Free Coaching the smallest at Rs 145.10 crore

•Free Coaching is the one component open to OBC students as well; the other three are for Scheduled Castes — a favourite distinction in scheme-based questions.

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