Background
Article 46 of Part IV (“Directive Principles of State Policy”) of the Constitution enjoins upon the State to promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Article 38(2) of the same Part also enjoins upon the State to minimize inequities in income and to endeavor to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities, not only amongst individuals but also amongst groups of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocations.
Objectives
Objectives of the scheme are:
- To support parents of ST children for education of their wards studying in classes IX and X so that the incidence of drop-out, especially in the transition from the elementary to the secondary stage is minimized, and
- To improve participation of ST children in classes IX and X of the prematric stage, so that they perform better and have a better chance of progressing to the post-matric stage of education.
Scope
Scholarship under the Scheme will be available for studies in India only and will be awarded by the Government of the State/Union Territory to which the applicant belongs i.e. where she/he is domiciled.
Conditions Of Eligibility
- Student should belong to Scheduled Tribe
- Her/his Parents’/Guardian’s income should not exceed Rs. 2.00 lakh per annum.
- She / he should not be getting any other Centrally-funded Pre-Matric Scholarship.
- She/ he should be a regular, full time student studying in a Government School or in a School recognized by Govt. or a Central/State Board of Secondary Education.
- Scholarship for studying in any class will be available for only one year. If a student has to repeat a class, she / he would not get scholarship for that class for a second (or subsequent) year.
Annual Parents’/Guardian’s Income
Scholarships will be paid to the students whose parents/guardians’ income from all sources does not exceed Rs. 2,00,000/- (Rupees two lakh only) per annum.
NOTE 1: So long as either of the parents is alive, only income of the parents, as the case may be, from all sources has to be taken into account only and of no other member even though they may be earning. In the form of income declaration, income is to be declared on this basis. Only in the case where both the parents have died, the income of the guardian who is supporting the student in his/her studies has to be taken. Such students whose parent’s income is affected due to unfortunate death of one of earning parents and resultantly comes within the income ceiling prescribed under the scheme, shall become eligible for scholarship, subject to their fulfilling other conditions of eligibility, from the month in which such sad incidence takes place. Applications for scholarships from such students can be considered even after lapse of last date of receipt of applications, on compassionate grounds.
NOTE 2: House rent allowance received by the parents of a student shall be exempted from the computation of ‘income’ if the same has been permitted to be exempted for the purpose of Income tax.
NOTE 3: Income certificate is required to be taken once only i.e. at the time of admission to courses which are continuing for more than one year.
Value Of Scholarship
The value of scholarship includes the following for complete duration of the course:-
- scholarship and other grant,
- additional allowance for students with disabilities studying in private un-aided recognized Schools.
The details are as follows: Rates of scholarship and other grant will be as follows:
| Item Day | Scholars | Hostellers |
| Scholarship for 10 months (Rs. per month) | 150 | 350 |
| Books and Ad hoc Grant (Rs. per annum) | 750 | 1000 |
- Additional Allowances for ST students with disabilities studying in private unaided Schools Under the Centrally-sponsored Scheme of ‘Inclusive Education of the Disabled at Secondary Stage’ (IEDSS) implemented by the M/o HRD, assistance @Rs.3000/- p.a. is already being given under its “Student Oriented Component” to students with disabilities studying at the Secondary stage in Govt., local body and Govt. aided schools. However, students in un-aided schools are not covered under IEDSS. Therefore, ST students with disabilities , studying in classes IX & X in private un-aided recognized schools, will be eligible for allowances under this Scheme, as follows:
| Allowances for students with disabilities studying in Private un-aided Schools | Amount (in Rs.) |
| (i) Monthly Reader Allowance for Blind students | 160 |
| (ii) Monthly Transport Allowance for students with disabilities (as defined in the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995), if such students do not reside in the hostel which is within the premises of the Educational Institution. | 160 |
| (iii) Monthly Escort Allowance for Severely Disabled (i.e. with 80% or higher disability) Day Scholars/Students with low extremity disability | 160 |
| (iv) Monthly Helper Allowance admissible to any employee of the hostel willing to extend help to a severely orthopedically handicapped student residing in the hostel of an Educational Institution who may need the assistance of a helper. | 160 |
| (v) Monthly Coaching Allowance to Mentally Retarded and Mentally ill Students | 240 |
Note: The disability as defined under the Persons with disabilities (equal opportunities, Protection of rights and full participation Act, 1995) Act has to be certified by competent medical authority of the State Govt./UT Administration.
Selection Of Candidates
- All eligible Scheduled Tribe candidates will be given scholarships as prescribed in this scheme
- Candidates belonging to one State but studying in another State will be awarded scholarships by the State to which they belong and will submit their applications to the competent authority in that State.
Duration And Renewal Of Awards
- The scholarship will be payable for 10 months in an academic year.
- The award once made will continue subject to good conduct and regularity in attendance. It will be renewed for Class X after the student passes Class IX.
Payment Of Scholarship
- Scholarship is payable from 1st April or from the month of admission, whichever is later, to the month in which the examinations are completed, at the end of the academic year, provided that if the scholar secures admission after the 20th day of a month, the amount will be paid from the month following the month of admission.
- In case of renewal of scholarship, it will be paid from the month following the month upto which scholarship was paid in the previous year.
- The Government of the State/Union Territory Administration, to which they belong, in accordance with the procedure laid down by them in this regard, will pay the scholarship money to the selected students.
Conditions For Continuation Of The Award
- The scholarship is dependent on the satisfactory progress and conduct of the student. If it is reported by the Head of the Institution/School at any time that a student has by reasons of his/her own act of default failed to make satisfactory progress or has been guilty of misconduct such as resorting to or participating in strikes, irregularity in attendance without the permission of the authorities concerned etc., the authority sanctioning the scholarship may either cancel the scholarships or stop or withhold further payment for such period as it may think fit.
- If a student is found to have obtained a scholarship by false statements, his/her scholarship will be cancelled forthwith and the amount of the scholarship paid will be recovered, at the discretion of the concerned State Government/ UT Administration. The student concerned will be blacklisted and debarred for scholarship in any scheme forever.
- A student is liable to refund the scholarship amount at the discretion of the State Government/ UT Administration, if during the course of the year, the studies for which the scholarship has been awarded, is discontinued by him/her.
Publicity Of The Scheme & Inviting Applications
- The Scheme will be implemented through State Governments/U.T. Administrations. All the State Governments/UT Administrations will, at the appropriate time, suitably publicise the Scheme and invite applications by issuing an advertisement in local language, in the leading newspapers of the State and through their respective websites and other media outfits. The applicant should submit the completed application to the prescribed authority, as mentioned below before the last date prescribed for receipt of applications.
- State Govt. would prescribe a suitable application form in the local language and place it on its websites. School authorities will get these forms filled by the eligible students and send them to Block / District level authorities. State Governments/UT Administrations will delegate powers to sanction scholarships under the scheme to appropriate District / Block level authorities/Heads of Institution, as appropriate.
Application Procedure
- An application for scholarship should comprise:
a) One copy of the application for scholarship in the prescribed form (separate application forms as have been prescribed for ‘fresh’ and renewal scholarship by concerned States/UTs).
(b) One copy of the passport size photograph with signatures of the student thereon (for fresh scholarship).
(c) A certificate (in original) of Scheduled Tribe duly signed by an authorized Revenue Officer not below the rank of Tehsildar.
(d) An income declaration by the self-employed parents/guardians, stating definite income from all sources by way of an affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper. Employed parents/guardians are required to obtain income certificate from their employer and for any additional income from other sources, they would furnish declaration by way of an affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper.
(e) A receipt in acknowledgement of the scholarship in the previous year on the form attached to the application only duly counter-signed by the Head of the Institution/School concerned, if the applicant was in receipt of a scholarship under this scheme in the preceding year.
- Application complete in all respects, shall be submitted to the Head of the Institution/School, being attended or last attended by the candidates and shall be forwarded by the Head of Institution, after scrutiny and with his recommendation, to the sanctioning authority, mentioned in para 11.2.
Mode Of Disbursal Of Scholarship
In order to ensure timely and correct payment of scholarship amount to the beneficiaries, State Governments/UT administrations will ensure payment of scholarship through their accounts in post offices/banks. All State Governments/UT Administrations will implement a computerized management system of scholarships, including ‘e-payment’ system.
Pattern And Conditions Of Central Assistance (Ca)
- The Scheme is Centrally Sponsored Scheme and implemented by the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations, which will receive 100% central assistance from Government of India for expenditure under the Scheme, over and above their Committed Liability. The level of Committed Liability of a State Government/Union Territory Administration for a year will be equivalent to the level of actual expenditure incurred by them under the Scheme during the terminal year of the previous Five Year Plan Period, and will be required to be borne by them by making provision in their own budget.
- Many States/UTs are presently implementing Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme of some kind for ST students, from their own resources. If a State Govt. is already giving pre-matric scholarship to ST students of classes IX-X, it will have to either:
1. continue to provide scholarship at that rate, over and above the Scholarship under the proposed CSS, or
2. if it chooses to reduce its own expenditure on its Scheme, utilize the saving so effected only on other educational programmes for STs.
- Upto 1.5 % of total Central expenditure towards Scholarship, would, be utilized on administrative expenditure, Management, Monitoring & Evaluation etc. The funds would be utilized for this purpose, by the Central Govt. or it would be released to States/UTs, over and above the Scholarship amount, on the basis of proposals received from them in this regard. However, no new posts would be created under this component.
Transfer Of Committed Liability To States/Uts
As per the existing practice, committed liability in such Schemes gets transferred to the States/UTs during the first year of the succeeding plan period. Since this Scheme is proposed introduced w.e.f. 01.07.2012, committed liability would be transferred, for the first time, to State Governments/UT Administrations at the end of XII Five Year Plan i.e. w.e.f. 01.04.2017.
Procedure For Claiming And Release Of Central Assistance
- Central Assistance will be released to the States/UTs, in two installments. First installment of Central Assistance would be released on ad-hoc basis, as far as possible, during the second quarter of the year (April- June) subject to satisfactory utilization of Central Assistance, released in the past, if any. State Governments/UT Administrations will be expected to submit their complete proposals for Central Assistance under the Scheme by 30th September each year which would be released to them, subject to fulfillment of all the conditions, by 31st December. Next year’s claim will have to be accompanied with a Utilization Certificate along with Audited Statements for the previous year’s Central Assistance. Unspent or unaccounted for balance, if any, from the previous year’s grant will be adjusted, while releasing the next year’s grant.
- State Governments/ UT Administrations will be expected to ensure timely and regular disbursal of scholarships to students through Bank /Post office accounts, preferably on monthly basis. Pending release of Central Assistance, the scholarships would be expected to be paid out of the State Budget, against which reimbursement can be claimed. In no case the disbursal of the scholarship to students should be held up due to any delay in the release of Central Assistance.
Monitoring
State Governments and Union Territory Administrations implementing the scheme will:
- furnish data of beneficiaries and expenditure under the scheme, to Government of India, regularly in the Quarterly Progress Reports whose proforma would be separately prescribed. Financial assistance given under the Scheme shall not be utilized for any other purpose.
- make beneficiaries database which may be integrated with UIDAI by
(a) embedding Aadhaar numbers (UID numbers) in it,
(b) using the UIDAI enabled bank account (UEBA) for crediting the scholarships and
(c) using the UIDAI authentication services for beneficiary identification. - ensure that an institution-wise list of awardees, with necessary particulars, for award of scholarships is displayed on the web-site of NIC at District level.
- designate Grievance Redressal Officers (GROs) at the State and District levels to redress students' scholarship-related grievances.
Change In The Provisions Of The Scheme
The provisions of this Scheme can be changed at anytime at the discretion of the Government of India.
