There are many scholarship schemes on the NSP portal. How do I know which Ministry to file the RTI with?

The RTI must be filed with the Ministry that administers the specific scholarship scheme you applied for. The main Central Government scholarship schemes and their administering ministries are: Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship for Minority Students (Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians) → Ministry of Minority Affairs. Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship for SC (Scheduled Caste) Students → Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship for ST (Scheduled Tribe) Students → Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Central Sector Scholarship (for meritorious students from non-professional undergraduate courses) → Ministry of Education. Post-Matric Scholarship for OBC Students → Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Check the name of the scheme on your NSP application confirmation to identify the Ministry. On rtionline.gov.in, select the correct Ministry accordingly.

My NSP application status shows 'State Verified' or 'Institute Verified' but payment has not come. Who should I file the RTI with?

Once the state and institute have verified your application on NSP, the ball is in the Central Ministry's court for fund release and disbursal. File the RTI with the Central Ministry administering the scheme (see the question above). Ask: (1) whether the Ministry has sanctioned your application (Application ID [XXX]) and released funds to the state for your scheme and academic year; (2) if funds have been released to the state, the date and amount; (3) whether the Ministry's records show your application as approved and funds allocated. If the Ministry has already released funds to the state, you may need a parallel RTI with the State Nodal Department asking why funds have not been passed on to your institution or account. File the state RTI through the state RTI portal.

My NSP application was rejected without any explanation. What RTI questions should I ask?

Ask for: (1) the specific reason for rejection of Application ID [XXX] — the eligibility criterion under which you were found ineligible (income ceiling, course exclusion, category mismatch, duplicate application, or other); (2) whether the rejection was made by the institute verifier, the state nodal officer, or the Ministry — and the name and designation of the deciding officer; (3) whether you were notified of the rejection and by what means; (4) the current income ceiling, course eligibility list, and institutional eligibility criteria for the scheme in your state; and (5) the procedure for challenging a rejection and the prescribed timeline for such challenge. Scholarships are often rejected due to minor documentary issues or data entry errors that can be corrected — the RTI response identifies exactly what needs to be fixed.

My institution is not forwarding my NSP application. Can RTI help?

Yes, but your RTI should be targeted carefully. If your institute has not verified or forwarded your application, the delay is at the institutional level. File an RTI with the institution (if it is a government or government-aided institution, it may be a public authority — check this first). Also file an RTI with the State Nodal Department for the scheme (through the state RTI portal) asking: (1) whether the institute [name] has been registered on the NSP portal for the current academic year; (2) the number of applications pending verification / forwarding by this institute; (3) whether any complaint has been received about this institute's NSP processing and the action taken. If the institute is a private unaided institution, it may not be an RTI respondent — in that case, escalate through the Nodal Ministry or use the NSP helpline.

What if the Ministry does not respond to my RTI within 30 days?

File a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at the relevant Ministry within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) within 90 days. All scholarship-administering ministries (Ministry of Minority Affairs, Social Justice and Empowerment, Tribal Affairs, and Education) are Central Government bodies — the second appeal goes to the CIC. If your RTI was filed with a State Nodal Department through the state portal, the second appeal goes to the State Information Commission.

Home/Guides/How to File RTI for National Scholarship Portal (NSP) — Scholarship Delay, Rejection and Disbursement

Central Government

How to File RTI for National Scholarship Portal (NSP) — Scholarship Delay, Rejection and Disbursement

Step-by-step guide to file an RTI for scholarship disbursement delays, rejection reasons, and application status for schemes listed on the National Scholarship Portal (scholarships.gov.in) — covering pre-matric and post-matric scholarships for SC, ST, OBC, and minority students under multiple Central Government ministries. Includes a ready-to-use sample RTI draft.

Updated 24 May 2026

Quick Facts

MinistryMinistry of Minority Affairs / Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment / Ministry of Tribal Affairs / Ministry of Education (depending on the specific scholarship scheme)

Address RTI ToCPIO of the Ministry implementing the specific scholarship scheme, or PIO of the State Nodal Department

Application Fee₹10 under RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. Free for BPL cardholders.

Response Time30 days from receipt (Section 7(1), RTI Act 2005). 48 hours if the matter involves life or liberty.

File Online Athttps://rtionline.gov.in

All information on this page is based on the Right to Information Act, 2005 (Act No. 22 of 2005) and the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. First Appeal: Section 19(1). Second Appeal to CIC/SIC: Section 19(3).

The National Scholarship Portal (NSP) at scholarships.gov.in is a one-stop digital platform that hosts over 80 scholarship schemes from various Central Government ministries, state governments, and public sector undertakings. For students from economically weaker and socially marginalised communities, these scholarships often cover tuition fees, maintenance charges, and other essential educational expenses.

Despite being a digital-first platform, NSP scholarship disbursements are frequently delayed — sometimes by months or years after the academic year — or rejected without clear reasons. This happens because the disbursement process involves multiple layers: student application → institution verification → state nodal department verification → Central Ministry fund release → PFMS transfer to student account. A delay or error at any stage can block the scholarship.

Every Central Ministry listed on the NSP is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. RTI is the most direct tool to identify exactly which layer is causing the delay and to force a written explanation.

Which Scholarship Scheme and Which Ministry

The most important step before filing an RTI is identifying the correct Ministry. A misdirected RTI wastes your 30-day window.

Scholarship Scheme	Administering Ministry
Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities	Ministry of Minority Affairs
Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities	Ministry of Minority Affairs
Maulana Azad National Fellowship	Ministry of Minority Affairs
Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC Students	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Post-Matric Scholarship for SC Students	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Post-Matric Scholarship for OBC Students	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST Students	Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Post-Matric Scholarship for ST Students	Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Central Sector Scholarship (meritorious students)	Ministry of Education (UGC)
Top Class Education for SC Students	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Prime Minister's Scholarship for Central Armed Police Forces	Ministry of Home Affairs

How to confirm your scheme's Ministry: Check the scheme name on your NSP application confirmation page or the scholarship portal — the administering ministry is listed there.

The NSP Disbursement Chain: Where Delays Happen

Understanding the process helps you identify and target the correct stage:

Student applies on NSP → Institute verifies on NSP → State Nodal Dept verifies 
→ Central Ministry sanctions & releases funds → PFMS transfers to student's bank account

Common delay points:

Institute not verifying: especially common in private colleges; often requires escalation to the state nodal department
State not forwarding verified applications: state nodal departments sometimes have large backlogs
Ministry not releasing funds: budget allocation or processing delays at the Central Ministry level
PFMS transfer failure: bank account/Aadhaar seeding issue causing transfer bounce-back

Your RTI should target the specific layer where the delay is occurring.

Where to File

For Central Ministry-level delays: file on rtionline.gov.in and select the relevant Ministry from the table above.

For State Nodal Department delays: file through your state's RTI portal. For Delhi state-level scholarship grievances, file at rti.delhi.gov.in with the Social Welfare / Minority / SC/ST Department as relevant.

How to File on rtionline.gov.in

Go to rtionline.gov.in and click Submit Request
Select the correct Ministry (see table above) from the dropdown
Draft your questions — include your NSP Application ID, scholarship scheme name, academic year, category, state, and institution name
Pay ₹10 online. BPL cardholders are exempt
Submit and note your registration number

What Specific Information Can You Ask For?

Application status:

Current status of NSP Application ID XXX for scheme Name, academic year XXXX-XX — stage it is at and reason for any delay
If rejected — specific eligibility criterion or data mismatch cited, and name of deciding officer
Whether the institute verification and state verification are complete for the above application

Disbursement: 4. Whether the Ministry has sanctioned this application and released funds to the state for the above scheme and academic year — date and amount released 5. Whether the scholarship amount has been transferred to the student's bank account via PFMS — date and amount transferred; if transfer failed, the reason (wrong account, Aadhaar seeding failure, other)

Scheme eligibility: 6. Current income ceiling, course eligibility list, and institutional eligibility criteria for scheme Name for the state of State name — academic year XXXX-XX

Aggregate data: 7. Total applications received, sanctioned, and amounts disbursed under scheme Name from state Name for academic year XXXX-XX, and percentage disbursed within the prescribed timeline

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): File with the FAA at the relevant Ministry within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): File with the Central Information Commission (CIC) within 90 days for Central Ministry RTIs. For state-level RTIs, file with the State Information Commission (for Delhi, the Delhi Information Commission (DIC)). All Central Ministries listed above are Central Government public authorities — second appeal for Ministry-level RTIs is CIC.

Sample RTI Application Draft

To,
The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO),
[Ministry Name — e.g., Ministry of Minority Affairs / Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment],
[Ministry Address, New Delhi]

Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 — Scholarship Disbursement Status and Reason for Rejection / Non-Payment

Sir/Madam,

I, [Your Full Name], student of [Institution Name, City, State], submit this application under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, to seek the following information:

Scholarship / application details:
  Scholarship Scheme Name: [e.g., Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities / Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC Students / Central Sector Scholarship]
  Academic Year: [e.g., 2024-25]
  NSP Application ID: [Application ID from scholarships.gov.in]
  Name of Applicant / Student: [Full Name]
  Category: [SC / ST / OBC / Minority (Muslim / Christian / Sikh / Buddhist / Jain / Zoroastrian) / EWS]
  State: [State where institution is located]
  Course / Class: [e.g., B.A. / Class 9 / ITI / B.Tech]
  Institution Name: [Name of College / School / Institution]

Information sought:

1. The current status of the NSP scholarship application bearing Application ID [XXX] for the academic year [XXXX-XX] — whether approved, pending state verification, pending institute verification, rejected, or awaiting fund disbursement from the Ministry.

2. If the application is rejected or not sanctioned — the specific reason(s) for rejection, the eligibility criterion under which the applicant was found ineligible, and the name and designation of the officer who made the decision.

3. Whether the scholarship amount has been sanctioned and, if so, whether it has been transferred to the applicant's bank account. If transferred, the date and amount of transfer. If not transferred, the specific reason and the stage at which disbursal is pending.

4. Whether the Ministry has released funds to the [State Nodal Department / institution] for scholarship disbursement for the above scheme and academic year. If yes, the date and amount of release. If not, the reason for any pending release.

5. The income ceiling, course eligibility, and institutional eligibility criteria currently in force for the above scholarship scheme, as per the scheme guidelines issued by this Ministry.

6. The total number of scholarship applications received, sanctioned, and disbursed under the above scheme from [State name] for the academic year [XXXX-XX], and the percentage of applications disbursed within the prescribed timeline.

I am enclosing the application fee of Rs. 10 [via online payment; Reference No.: [Payment Ref]].

I request the above information within 30 days as required under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Complete Address]
Phone: [Your 10-digit Mobile Number]
Email: [[email protected]]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Replace all text in [square brackets] with your actual details before filing. Do not include the brackets in your submission.

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