Odisha has joined at least six other states in providing overseas scholarships for students from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. Its recent rollout of the Bidesh Sikhyabruti scheme, officially announced last December, offers opportunity to 50 meritorious students to pursue higher studies—master’s and PhD degrees—in global institutions on the widely-recognised ranking by the Quacquarelli Symonds group. The scholarship will cover tuition, living and travel expenses up to ₹25 lakh a year for two years.
It’s the latest effort by the two-year-old BJP government in Odisha to address some of the historical disadvantages faced by the state’s SC and ST communities, who account for two-fifths of the population. The idea is to promote social mobility by supporting a generation of academics, scientists, researchers and professionals. Studying in a foreign university can be a monumental financial challenge for even meritorious students from marginalised communities. State support can, therefore, build on the aspiration. The government had earlier enhanced reservation for ST and SC students in technical and professional courses.
Overseas scholarship schemes in other states have tasted success. More than 1,100 students have benefitted from the Kerala government’s Unnathi Overseas programme, which extends the cover to members from other backward classes. Other southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, too, have their own initiatives to help students from disadvantaged social groups break class barriers. At least 834 students have also availed of the Union government’s National Overseas Scholarship between 2014-15 and 2024-25.
Such a scheme is particularly significant for Odisha. If executed well and expanded steadily, Bidesh Sikhyabruti can become an instrument for democratising opportunity and creating a new generation of socially diverse academic and professional leadership for the state. However, to be successful, such scholarships must be accompanied by strong outreach, mentoring and institutional support. As the continuing underutilisation of such schemes around the country shows, beneficiaries may lack information about foreign universities, admission processes, standardised tests and application procedures. Besides, the window of application and admission can sometimes be really short and the visa process can invite anxiety for students and parents. The state governments should, therefore, create facilitation mechanisms to help students navigate these processes, rather than expecting them to negotiate a complex global education ecosystem on their own.