It was July 1942 in Nagpur, India, at the All India Depressed Classes Conference. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the eventual architect of the Indian Constitution and a member of the lower castes, told his followers to “Educate, Agitate, Organize.” Ambedkar was calling for an education that the dominant castes had denied to the lower castes. While the caste system was outlawed in 1947, even now, expanding education in Punjab for the Scheduled Castes is proving difficult because of prejudice from non-Dalits. Financial difficulties for the community are a significant factor too, since figures from 2022 show that about 34% of Dalits remained below the poverty line compared to 9% of general caste people. 

Educational Poverty

According to the 2011 census, nearly one-third of Punjab’s population is Dalits, so educational poverty for the group is a significant social issue. Historically, India’s government has initiated affirmative actions for Dalits to enter education, such as quotas, scholarships and a more relaxed process for admission. However, expanding education in Punjab for the Scheduled Castes has proven to be a challenge for the Punjab government. For instance, previous attempts to provide scholarships have resulted in irregularities in the administration, which have led to the nonpayment of dues.

The Rangla Punjab Scholarship Scheme

At the end of January 2026, 270,000 students were given scholarships by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. These post-matric scholarships for the Scheduled Caste student community were worth Rs 271 crore (approx. £22 million) and are intended to fund higher education and professional courses such as medicine and engineering, which are considered costly. Officials have stated that the initiative, called “Rangla Punjab” (Colourful Punjab), is aimed at preventing financial constraints from dictating the terms so that students from marginalized communities can access quality education. 

Speaking at the event, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that “Education is the only key to changing the destiny of the weaker and underprivileged sections” and invoked Dr. Ambedkar by declaring that “This scheme reflects our government’s commitment to social justice and is rooted in Babasaheb Ambedkar’s belief that education is the most powerful weapon to eliminate social inequality.” 

Expanding education in Punjab for Scheduled Castes in this way was highlighted by the AAP Punjab on its social media handle, which declared that the Mann government is “taking new steps in the field of education every day,” that “the expenditure on education will become a thing of the past” and “[t]he scholarship scheme will fulfill the dreams of students.” 

Mann stated that “This scholarship is not merely financial assistance but a powerful means of making students self-reliant. The effort is to ensure that no child is deprived of education or forced to abandon their dreams due to lack of money.” 

Brighter Prospects for the Scheduled Castes

Scholarships for the Scheduled Castes may enable wider access to higher education in Punjab and bring in a greater diversity of students who are not limited by cost considerations to study. Higher education is one of the most certain routes for achieving social mobility and therefore reducing poverty around the world. Such students may use the skills and knowledge they gain in higher education to innovate in Punjab and India and to improve society. With scholarships and by further expanding education in Punjab for the Scheduled Castes, they could create a path toward systemic reduction in poverty and open channels for social mobility for those marginalized and forced into a precarious life.

– Suneel Mehmi

Suneel is based in London, UK and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash