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4. The salient features of the impugned schemes are set out hereafter.

5. The pre-matric scholarship for studies in a Government or private school from class I to class X, is to be given to a student -

i) who is from a minority community as notified under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992;

ii) who has secured at least 50% marks in the previous final examination; and

3. SCOPE The scholarship will be awarded for studies in India in a government or private school from class I to class X, including such residential Government institutes and eligible private institutes selected and notified in a transparent manner by the State Government and Union Territory Administration concerned.

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          4.    ELIGIBILITY




                                                                             

(a) Rs.446 crores (rounded off) on the pre-matric scholarship and

(b) Rs.228 crores (rounded off) on the Merit-cum-Means scholarship for higher studies.

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(viii) Students of other communities in similar situation have the benefit of similar schemes implemented by the Government which are open to all communities. The submission is made on behalf of the Central Government to indicate that it was unable to procure the information regarding the amounts spent by the Central Government on all the scholarship schemes that are applicable to the students belonging to all the communities, other than the amount of Rs.107.99 crores on one particular scholarship scheme for college and university students for the financial year 2010-2011.

When so much material in the form of Sachar Committee Report covers 74% of the minority population, the Government schemes cannot be struck down for absence of material on record for the remaining minority population, more particularly when the Court can take judicial notice of the fact that a large number of Buddhists and Christians in this country are those who converted themselves from Scheduled srk 43 wp-84-08- final Castes or Scheduled Tribes to Buddhism or Christianity. Their social and educational backwardness and the social barriers they face cannot be lost sight of merely because of their conversion to minority religions. Moreover, the economic criterion by way of income limit of Rs.1 lakh (for pre matric scholarships) and Rs. 2.50 lakhs (for scholarships for higher studies) ensures that the benefits are available only to the deprived sections of these minority communities.