SIO says Karnataka government has guaranteed scholarships for 9th, 10th standard minority students
Bengaluru: The Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), Karnataka Zone, has announced that the Karnataka government has assured the extension of scholarships to students studying in the 9th and 10th standards under the State Scholarship Portal (SSP).
This assurance follows a meeting between an SIO Karnataka delegation, including State Secretary Mohammed Hayyan and Advocate Syed Ismail Quadri, Zonal Advisory Council Member and Zameer Ahmed Khan, Minister for Hajj, Waqf and Minority Welfare. The Minister reportedly assured the delegation that the necessary file to reinstate the scholarships will be approved soon, ensuring support from the current academic year.
Students in these grades had been left without financial aid for the past two years following the Union Government’s discontinuation of the pre-matric scholarship scheme under the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), previously managed by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The gap had led to mounting dropout rates among students from economically weaker minority backgrounds.
While the SSP has continued to provide scholarships for students from 1st to 8th standard, the absence of provisions for 9th and 10th standards created a critical void. With rising education costs and increasing privatisation, SIO Karnataka has stressed the urgency of reinstating these scholarships to support students at a pivotal stage in their education.
“We earnestly urged the Government of Karnataka to extend SSP scholarship benefits to students of 9th and 10th standard. We are extremely grateful to Minister Zameer Ahmed for his prompt and positive response, " said Mohammed Hayyan.
SIO Karnataka reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring the implementation process and ensuring that students receive timely assistance. The organisation believes this move will help thousands of students continue their education with dignity and confidence.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
