Students with disabilities have raised concerns about the efficacy of the MahaDBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) scheme, which allows for direct disbursement of financial aid in the form of scholarships to bank accounts of students with disabilities. However, the money oftentimes takes months to come in, parents and students told mid-day.

A beneficiary is supposed to pay fees to their colleges, and the MahaDBT scheme ensures the amount is disbursed to their bank account in two instalments.
“My son has a locomotive disability and has taken up IT at an engineering college in Mumbai. The fees are over Rs 1 lakh, and it’s difficult to arrange such amounts in one shot,” said Kausar, a resident of Kurla.

Fearing that her son may lose admission, Kausar paid the fees upfront after borrowing money from community trusts. Soon after, she applied for the MahaDBT scheme in August 2024, which was approved immediately at the college level.