Srinagar, June 27 -- When Mareeha Syed, a scholarship applicant from Kashmir, sat down last week to complete her college choice submission for the Prime Minister's Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS), she quickly realized the system wasn't working as it should.

The portal kept asking her to upload a document that didn't exist yet.

To apply for Delhi University (DU) colleges, students under PMSSS must now submit proof of CSAS (Central Seat Allocation System) registration. But DU's CSAS Phase 2, which allows students to actually register their preferences, hasn't even started.

"It's a requirement we cannot meet because the university hasn't opened the window yet," Mareeha said. "How can we upload a document that doesn't exist? The portal ...