The Bihar Kanya Utthan Yojana graduation scheme is experiencing significant delays with forms getting repeatedly stuck in pending status due to verification bottlenecks and fund shortage issues. Over 3 lakh (300,000) female graduate applications are currently pending across Bihar’s universities and institutions, with the majority stuck at BRA Bihar University Muzaffarpur.
Why Forms Keep Getting Stuck as Pending
Primary Reasons for Pending Status:
Verification Delays: Forms are showing “Pending with Education Department” status as verification processes have been temporarily halted. The Education Department has suspended form verification for the past week due to fund allocation issues.
University Approval Bottleneck: Applications are waiting for “University Maker and Checker” verification, which requires universities to reopen after the Durga Puja holidays. This process will resume from October 6, 2025 onwards.
Document Issues: Many forms are pending due to incorrect residential certificates, invalid father names, wrong dates of birth, or incorrect marksheet numbers. Students with these issues need to contact their respective universities or colleges for corrections.
System Overload: The massive volume of applications (over 3 lakh) has overwhelmed the verification system, causing processing delays.
Fund Shortage Crisis
Current Financial Situation:
70% Budget Exhausted: The Education Department has already released 70% of the allocated funds for the Kanya Utthan scheme, with only 30% remaining. This has severely limited new payment processing.
Payment Processing Suspended: Only 10-25 students per day are currently receiving payments from those whose forms are already in “Ready for Payment” status. New form verification has been largely suspended to manage remaining funds.
Budget Allocation: The scheme operates with a ₹300 crore annual budget, but demand has exceeded available resources.
Payment Timeline and Expectations
When Will Payments Resume:
Immediate Payments: Students whose forms show “Ready for Payment” or “In Process for Payment” status will receive money within the current week, subject to fund availability.
Post-Holiday Verification: Form verification will resume after Durga Puja holidays (from October 6, 2025), but payments may be delayed due to fund constraints.
New Fund Release: The next tranche of funds is expected after the upcoming elections, likely in December 2025 or January-February 2026. This is due to the model code of conduct that will be implemented during election period.
Government Budget Cycle: Major fund releases typically occur during the new financial year or after significant political events.
How to Fix Pending Status
Steps to Resolve Pending Applications:
Check Application Status: Use the official Medhasoft portal to verify current status – students should look for specific error messages or pending reasons.
Document Corrections: For data-related errors (name, father’s name, DOB), contact the university or college where graduation was completed.
Wait for System Processing: If status shows “Pending with Education Department” without specific errors, students must wait for the verification process to resume.
Finalization Required: Students who haven’t finalized their applications should complete the finalization process immediately, though this won’t guarantee immediate payment due to fund constraints.
University Contact: For technical issues, students should reach out to their respective university’s examination or scholarship department.
Official Updates and Projections
Government Communications:
The Higher Education Directorate has written to all universities asking them to expedite pending application approvals so that students can benefit from the scheme. However, the reality remains that fund availability is the primary constraint.
Key Officials’ Statements: Education Department sources indicate that while all eligible applications will eventually be processed, the timeline depends entirely on when the next budget allocation is approved by the state government.
Student Advisory: Officials recommend students to keep checking their status regularly and be patient, as payments will resume once new funds are allocated, but this could take several months.
The situation reflects broader challenges in implementing large-scale scholarship schemes where demand significantly exceeds initial budget projections, requiring additional government allocation to fulfill commitments to all eligible beneficiaries.
