evidence: -The pre-matric scholarship for the SC category continuously fell between 2015-16 and 2019-20; for OBCs, it either stayed stagnant or increased marginally. The number of students availing fell from 2.4 million in 2015-16 to 2.2 million in 2017-18, an 8.3% fall. [...] The pre-matric scholarship scheme for SC, ST and OBC students was aimed at increasing enrolment from these sections and cutting the increasing drop-out numbers for Classes IX and X. The post-matric scholarship for SC, ST and OBC students was meant to enable them to complete their education. The pre-matric scholarship for SC and OBC categories of students is ‘funds-limited’, that is, it depends on the budget and is not driven by demand. Between 2015-16 and 2019-20, the scholarship allocation for SCs fell continuously from Rs 843 crore to Rs 355 crore, a decline of 58%; and for OBCs, spending on scholarships either stayed stagnant or increased marginally. The number of students availing of the scholarship fell from 2.4 million to 2.2 million in the same period, a decline of 8.3%.