'PR Over Pupils': Congress Slams Budget For Pariksha Pe Charcha Amid Scholarship Cuts

New Delhi: Taking a dig at Pariksha pe Charcha, an initiative launched by Prime Minister Modi, Congress on Sunday questioned how the government justifies the withholding of overseas scholarships while increasing the budget for PR initiatives such as Pariksha pe Charcha. The government recently withheld overseas scholarship funds, citing a fund crunch.

Pariksha pe Charcha is a concept initiated by the Prime Minister to interact with students, parents, teachers, claiming to enhance students’ self-confidence, and make them manage their stress and help them stay fit.

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Notably, the budget allocated for the annual ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ initiative, which involves Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s engagement with school children, has increased more than fivefold over the past seven years. Compared to 2018 where the fund allocated for the scheme was Rs 3.67 crore, the budget for the project is Rs 18.82 crore by 2025, representing a staggering jump of 522% over the last seven years in the allocation of funds for the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’.

In an X post, while pointing out the withholding of funds for educational requirements, including the recent cut in overseas scholarships, the Congress asked about the rationale behind the significant increase in the budget for “PR machinery” such as ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha. The Grand Old Party wondered how the development would align with the government’s priorities.

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“The government owes it to the nation to provide clear answers to these questions and to reassess its priorities. “After all, the future of a nation is built on the foundation of educated and empowered citizens, not on the strength of its PR machinery,” the party added in its social media post.

Questions for the Modi Government:

❓ How does the government justify the withholding of overseas scholarships while increasing the budget for PR initiatives like ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’?

❓ What is the rationale behind the significant increase in the budget for ‘Pariksha Pe… pic.twitter.com/zMy2AT7Lcq

— Congress (@INCIndia) July 13, 2025

For the past few years, the Union Government has also discontinued several other education-related funds, including the Maulana Azad scholarship for research scholars from minority communities.