Around 75 minority students from Maharashtra, India, are under significant financial strain as the state government has delayed the disbursal of scholarship funds for their higher education abroad. Although their scholarships were approved under the minority development department’s foreign scholarship scheme for the 2025-26 academic year, the funds have yet to be released. A letter from the social welfare commissioner in Pune, signed by Pramod Jadhav, revealed that only 28 students received their first-semester payments for the 2024-25 renewal scholarships, while the second installment remains unpaid. The 2025-26 batch, consisting of 25 students, is still awaiting funds for tuition and living expenses, with a total estimated requirement of ₹49.75 crore. Currently, only ₹14 crore has been allocated, of which ₹9.79 crore has been spent, leaving ₹4.21 crore pending. Students have expressed anxiety over their financial obligations to universities abroad, with some facing urgent demands for payment. Meghana Shinde, undersecretary of the minority development department, assured that the disbursement process is underway. However, critics like Akshay Jain, media chief of the Maharashtra Youth Congress, have condemned the government's handling of funds, asserting that it jeopardizes students' futures and tarnishes Maharashtra's international reputation.