CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has released funds towards the tuition fees and living expenses of Dalit PhD scholar, R Bharathidasan, and will extend further support to enable him to complete his research, Social Justice Minister Vanniyarasu said on Friday.

This comes after, Bharathidasan, who is pursuing medical research in Malaysia under the Annual Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship, alleged that delays in releasing scholarship funds had stalled his research and put him at risk of being removed from the university over unpaid fees.

He also accused the Social Justice Department of blocking financial assistance after he submitted bills and documents towards academic and accommodation expenses.

The department, however, said it had released around Rs 36 lakh during his first academic year. Of this, Rs 30,98,362 was transferred to Bharathidasan’s bank account, while the remaining amount was paid towards tuition fees.

It had clarified that expenditure documents for Rs 8,17,962 were found unacceptable. It had asked Bharathidasan on August 20 to provide an explanation regarding the research materials purchased and submit proof of payment. According to the department, it had not received a satisfactory response.

The department subsequently released another Rs 12 lakh for his second academic year, including Rs 5.57 lakh towards tuition fees and Rs 6.65 lakh towards living expenses. Bharathidasan later sought Rs 19.50 lakh towards his second-year research expenses.

Bharathidasan disputed the department’s version, saying the Rs 36 lakh released was assistance for his first year. He said that he had submitted bills worth Rs 37 lakh on June 8 and was also awaiting 6 months’ living expenses.

Speaking to DT Next, Bharathidasan was confident that the issue would be resolved. “I was the only PhD student among the scholarship beneficiaries, while others were pursuing postgraduate courses. As I was not staying at the university hostel, I required additional financial support for living expenses,” he explained.

Minister Vanniyarasu said that the government’s objective was to ensure that Bharathidasan completed his degree. “I became a minister to serve students like Bharathidasan. He’s like my brother. The government will extend all necessary support to enable him to continue and complete his studies,” he added.