SC Students’ Post-Matric Scholarship Social Justice Department Info

Here is a fully authored, long and detailed Hindi article on “Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste Students”. This article is written between 1100 to 2500 words and aims to present the assistance being given to SC category students for higher education in simple and understandable language.

Government’s Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes (PMS-SC) for the year 2020-21 and onwards laid out in full detail.

Running the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme (PMS-SC) for the Scheduled Caste community is one of the main duties of the Government of India’s Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Any student who has passed 10th grade and joined higher secondary, undergraduate, postgraduate or professional courses can use this scheme. In this article, we will explain the reasons for the scheme, what is included, who is eligible, what the scheme provides, how to enroll and extra details.

Objective of the Scheme

The main objective of the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme is to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio of students belonging to Scheduled Castes in higher education. The scheme specifically targets students who come from extremely poor families, in order to provide them financial assistance to prevent their education from getting disrupted.

The government believes that education is the only means that can bring social and economic equality. In such a situation, this scheme is a powerful medium to bring economically weak but talented SC students into the mainstream.

Scope of the Scheme

These scholarships are awarded only to students studying in India.

This scheme covers those students who are permanent residents of any state or union territory. That is, the student will be selected by the Government of the same State or Union Territory where he permanently resides or is a domicile.

This scheme is applicable to all the students who are already beneficiaries of the scheme, as well as newly admitted students can also avail this benefit.

Assistance provided under the scheme

Under this scheme, assistance is provided to the student for tuition fees, examination fees, books, accommodation, and other necessary educational expenses. The amount of assistance may vary depending on the course and institution, but it is entirely borne by the Central Government (in some cases state governments also provide partial amount).

For which levels of education will the scholarship be available?

• Class 11th and 12th
• Diploma and Certificate Courses
• Graduation
• Post-Graduation

Professional courses like ITI, Engineering, Medical, Pharmacy, Law, Management etc.

Eligibility Criteria

• The following conditions are necessary to avail the benefits of this scheme:
• The student should be a citizen of India and belong to the Scheduled Caste category.
• The student must have passed 10th standard and is pursuing further studies.
• The student’s family is financially weak. Generally, the annual family income limit is fixed at ₹2.5 lakh. This limit can be revised by the state governments from time to time.
• The student should be studying in a recognized institution in India.
• The student should not be availing the benefit of any other scholarship scheme (some states allow exceptions).

Scholarship Amount

The scholarship amount is divided into two parts:

Maintenance Allowance: This amount is given on a monthly basis, which varies depending on the student’s course and whether he is staying in a hostel or is a day scholar.

For example, an engineering or medical student staying in a hostel is given a higher amount while a student pursuing a general course gets a comparatively less amount.

Reimbursement of Compulsory Fees: This includes tuition fees, examination fees, books, lab fees, etc.

All these fees are paid directly to the institute where the student is studying.

How to Apply

Students can apply for this scheme online. The application process is through the portal run by the state government or the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) of the Government of India. The following documents are required while applying:

• Student’s photo
• Caste certificate (SC)
• Family income certificate
• Mark sheet of previous class
• Aadhaar card
• Copy of bank passbook
• Enrolment certificate from the institute

Key points to apply:

• It is necessary to provide correct and updated information.
• Upload all documents in clear scanned PDF or JPG format.
• Pay special attention to the last date of application.
• If there is a specific website of the state government then apply through that medium.
• Special benefits of the scheme
• Financial barriers in the path of higher education of the student are removed.
• SC category students get equal opportunity.
• Participation of SC category in higher educational institutions of the country is promoted.
• This scheme is a concrete step towards social inclusion and equality in education.

Improvements made from 2020-21

From the year 2020-21, some important improvements and technical changes have been made in this scheme to increase transparency:

• The scholarship amount is sent directly to the beneficiary’s bank account through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer).
• Duplicate or fake applications have been prevented by Aadhaar-based authentication.
• Application tracking facility is available on the portal so that students can check their application status.

Key Highlights:

• The scheme is run by the Central Government but is implemented by the state governments.
• The Central Government bears 100% of the scholarship amount.
• Students from all courses and institutions are eligible, provided they are recognized.
• The scholarship cannot be availed only between two degrees (e.g. two undergraduate degrees).

Conclusion

The Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC students is an initiative that has the potential to bring profound positive change in the field of social equality and education. The main objective of this scheme is to provide resources to students from economically backward classes so that they can realize their dreams.

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