Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme to Other Backward Classes (OBC) for Studies in India |CAREER

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India offers scholarships for Other Backward Classes.
Objective The Government of India has since independence initiated a number of steps for improving the level of literacy and education. In this context, the Government has recognized that educational and economic support for backward classes has not been adequate and that there is disparity between them and the non-backward sections of the population at every level. It is self-evident and universally accepted that education is one of the key instruments of effective development of weaker sections.
Based on the recommendations of the Working Group on Development and Welfare of Backward Classes, it is proposed to launch a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Post-Matric Scholarship for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) students. The objective of the scheme is to provide financial assistance to the OBCs students studying at post matriculation or post secondary stage to enable them to complete their education.

Coverage of the SchemeOn the basis of the examination conducted, 1000 scholarships will be awarded for each group of students appearing for Class VIII examinations. The amount of scholarship will be Rs.500/- per month as per NTS rules.

ScopeThese scholarships shall be available for studies in India only and will be awarded by the Government of State/Union Territory to which the applicant actually belongs, i.e. permanently settled. 100% central assistance will be provided to State Governments/UT Administrations for this purpose.

Coverage, Value of Scholarship and Ad-Hoc GrantThe value of scholarship will include maintenance allowance, reader charges for blind students, reimbursement of compulsory non-refundable fees, Study Tour Charges, thesis typing/printing charges and book allowance for students pursuing correspondence course, for complete duration of the course. The details are given below:

i) Maintenance Allowance

Course of (1)	(Rs. Per Month) Rate of Maintenance Allowance
Course of (1)	Hostlers (2)	Day Scholars (3)
Group AMedical /Engineering including Degree level Courses in Indian Medicine, B.A.M&S and Comparable courses in Ayurveda, Unani/ Tibbia and Homeopathic System of Medicines. B.Sc. (Agriculture/B.V.Sc. /B.F.Sc. (Fisheries) Higher technical and all professional studies like Degree and Post-Matric courses in Agricultural and Veterinary Science.	425	190
Group BDiploma level courses in Indian Medicine and Comparable courses in Ayurvedic, Unani/Tibbia and Homeopathic system of Medicine. Diploma & comparable courses in Engineering, Technology, Architecture, medicine, diploma level Courses in printing technology and courses for Overseer, draftsman, surveyor, Commercial Pilot License, Diploma and higher courses in Hotel Management catering technology and applied Nutrition. Degree and post-graduate course in nursing and pharmacy. Wireless and television operators/sound recording and sound engineering motion picture, photography, film direction/acting. Screenplay / writing / Degree/post graduate Diploma courses in business management, Chartered and Cost /Works Accountancy. Post Graduate courses in Science subjects.	290	290
Group CCertificate courses in Engineering/Technology/Architecture and Medicine, Diploma and Certificate courses in Agriculture, Pharmacy, veterinary Science, Fisheries , Dairy development, Hygiene and Public Health , sanitary Inspector's Course, courses for Rural services, Cooperation and Community development, Sub-Officer' course at the national Fire Service College, Nagpur, Library Science. Degree /Post Graduate Diploma and Post Graduate Courses in Teachers' training, Library Science and Physical Education , Music Fine Arts and Law, Craft Instructor's Training Course, Certificate Course in Hotel Management/ Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Passenger transport Management, Associate degree I Pharmacy, Post graduate courses in Arts and Commerce subjects.	290	190
Group DGeneral Courses up to Graduate level (2nd year and onward)	230	120
Group EClasses X1and X11in 10+2 System Intermediate courses and first year of General courses up to graduate level.	150	90

Note: 1 Commercial Pilot License Course (CPL) CPL course shall be covered under Group 'B'. The number of awards for CPL will be 20 per annum. Consequent upon receiving applications from concerned students, concerned State Governments/UT Admns, should scrutinize them for determining their eligibility under the Scheme and thereafter intimate the number of eligible applications for CPL training (with their names) for each financial year to Ministry of Social justice & Empowerment (the applications themselves need not be sent to the Ministry). Upon receipt of such information, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment will give clearance to the concerned States/UTs on the first -come first-serve basis up to 20 awards for the country as a whole. The selected candidates will be provided a maintenance allowance at rates applicable to Group 'B' courses, i.e. Rs. 290 per month for hostlers and Rs. 190 per month for day scholars. In addition, all compulsory fees, including flight charges are to be provided in fee.

Note 2: M. Phil. and PhD courses are post-graduation courses. Scholarship to such students may be paid at the rate of maintenance allowance for Group 'A', 'B' or 'C' depending on the course under these groups.

Note 3: Scholars who are entitles to free board and/or lodging will be paid maintenance chargers at 1/3rd of Hostlers' rate.

ii) Reader Charges for blind students (Blind Scholars) The blind scholars will be given additional amount as 'Readers Charges' as mentioned below:

Group	Reader Allowance (Rs. P.m.)
Group A,B,C	100
Group D	75
Group E	50

iii) Fees:Scholars will be paid enrolment /registration, tuition, games, Union, Library, Magazine, Medical examination and such other fees compulsorily payable by the scholar to the institution or University/Board. Refundable deposit-like caution money, security deposit will, however, be excluded.

iv) Study Tours:Study tour charges up to a maximum of Rs. 500/- per annum limited to the actual expenditure incurred by the student on transportation charges etc., will be paid to the scholars studying professional and technical courses, provided that the head of the institution certifies that the study tour is essential for the scholar for completion of his/her course of study.

V) Thesis Typing /Printing charges:Thesis typing/printing charges up to a maximum of Rs. 600 will be paid to research scholars on the recommendation of the Head of the Institution.

Duration and Renewal of Awards

The award once made will be tenable from the stage at which it is given to the completion of course subject to good conduct and regularity in attendance. It will be renewed from year provided that within a course which is continuous for a number of years, the scholar secures promotion to the next higher class irrespective of the fact whether such examinations are conducted by a University or the Institution.
If an OBC scholar pursuing Group A course fails in the examination for the first time, the award may be renewed. For second and subsequent failures in any class the student shall bear his/her own expenses until he/she secures promotion to the next higher class.
If a scholar is unable to appear in the annual examination owing to illness and or on account of any other unforeseeable event, the award may be renewed for the next academic year on submission of medical certificate and/or other required sufficient proof to the satisfaction of the Head of the Institution and his/her certifying that the scholar would have passed had he appeared in the examination.
If according to the Regulations of a University /Institution, a student is promoted to the next higher class even though he/she may not have actually passed in lower class and is required to take examination of the junior class again after sometime, he/she will be entitled to scholarship for the class to which he/she is promoted if the student is otherwise eligible for scholarship.

Mode of SelectionAll the eligible Other Backward Classes candidates will be given scholarships subject to the condition of eligibility prescribed in conditions of eligibility of this Scheme. Candidates belonging to one State but studying in another State will be awarded scholarship by the State to which they belong and will submit their applications to the competent authorities in that State. In the matter of exemption from fees or other concessions also they will be treated as if they were studying in their own State.

Conditions of eligibility

The scholarships will be open to India nationals belonging to OBCs as notified by the Central Govt. / State Govt. UT Admn.
These scholarships will be given for the study of all recognized post-matriculation or post-secondary courses pursued in recognized institutions with the following exceptions:
"Scholarships shall not be awarded for training courses like Aircraft Maintenance Engineer's Course and Private Pilot License Courses, Courses at Training-Ship Duffer in (Now INS Rajendra), course of training at the Military College, Dehradun, courses at Pre-examination Training Centres of All India and State levels and Trade Courses at the Industrial Training Institutes."
Only those candidates who belong to OBCs so specified in relation to the State/UT to which the applicant actually belongs, i.e. permanently settled and who have passed the Matriculation or higher secondary or any higher examination of a recognized University or Board of Secondary Education will be eligible.
Candidates who after passing one stage of education are studying in the same stage of education in different subject e.g. I. SC after I.A or B.Com, after B.A. or M.A. in a subject after M.A in another subject will not be eligible.
Students who, after having completed their educational career in one professional line, e.g., LL.B after B.T/B. Ed will not be eligible.
Students studying in Class of the Higher Secondary School courses or the XII class of the Multipurpose High School not be eligible for it being a continuous school courses. However, in cases, where tenth class examination of such courses is treated as equivalent to Matriculation and students who after passing tenth class join other courses, such students will be treated as post- matric students and will be eligible for the award of scholarships.
Students pursuing Post-graduate courses in medicine will be eligible if they are not allowed to practice during the period of their course.
Students who after failing or passing the Under Graduate/Post-Graduate examinations in Arts/science/ Commerce join any recognized professional or Technical certificate/diploma/degree courses will be awarded scholarships if otherwise eligible. No subsequent failure will be condoned except courses in Group 'A' and no further change in the course will be allowed.
Students who pursue their studies through correspondence courses will be eligible towards reimbursement of non-refundable fee. The term correspondence includes distant and continuing education. Besides reimbursement of non-refundable fee, such students will also be eligible for an annual allowance of Rs. 500/- for essential /prescribed books, as applicable.
Employed students whose income combined with the income of their parents/guardians does not exceed Rs. 44,500/- per annum shall be eligible for post - matric scholarships to the extent of reimbursement of all compulsorily payable non-refundable fees.
Only two children of the same parents/guardian will be entitled to receive scholarships. This restriction will, however, not apply to girls. Accordingly, scholarship availed by girls of same parents/guardian will not adversely affect admissibility of availing scholarship upto two boys of same parents/guardian.
A scholarship holder under this Scheme will not hold any other scholarship /stipend. If awarded any other scholarship/stipend, the students can exercise his/her option for either of the two scholarships/stipends, whichever is more beneficial to him/her and should inform the awarding authority through the Head of the Institution about the option made. No scholarship will be paid to the students under this Scheme from the date he/she accepts another scholarships/stipend. The student can however, accept free lodging or a grant or ad-hoc monetary help from the State Government or any other source for the purchase of books, equipment or for meeting the expenses on board and lodging to the scholarship amount paid under this Scheme.
Students who have already received coaching in any of the pre-examination training centers with financial assistance from the Government will not be eligible.
In case of unemployed students whose parents/guardians income from all sources does not exceed Rs. 44,500 per annum will be entitled for the scholarship under the Scheme.

Note 1: So long as either of the parents (or husband in the case of married unemployed girl students) are alive, only income of the parents/husband, as the case may be, from all sources has to be taken into account and of no other members 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 (or husband in the case of married but unemployed girl student) have died, the income of the guardian who is supporting the student in his/her studies has to be taken into consideration. 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 dare of receipt of applications, on compassionate grounds.

Note 2: House Rent Allowance received by the parents of a student be exempted from the computation of 'income' if the same has been permitted to be exempted for 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.

Other Conditions for Award

The scholarship is dependent on the satisfactory progress and conduct of the scholars. If it is reported by the Head of the Institution at any time that a scholar has by reasons of his/her own act or 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 scholarships may either cancel the scholarships or stop or withhold further payment of such period as it may think fit.
If a student is found to have obtained a scholarship by false statement 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. The student concerned will be blacklisted and debarred for scholarship in any Scheme for ever.
A scholarship awarded may be cancelled if the scholar changes the subject of the course of study for which the scholarship were originally awarded or changes the institution of study, without prior approval of the State Government. The Head of the Institution shall report such cases to them and stop recovered at the discretion of the State Government.
A scholar is liable to refund the scholarship amount at the discretion of the State Government, if during the course of the year, the studies for which the scholarship has been awarded, is discontinued by him/her.

The regulations can be changed at any time at the discretion of the Government of India.

Application Procedure.

An application for scholarship should comprise:
1. One copy of the application for scholarship in the prescribed form (separate application forms have been prescribed for 'fresh' and renewal scholarship).
2. One copy of the passport size photograph with signatures of the student thereon (for fresh scholarship).
3. One attested copy of certificates/diploma/degree etc., in respect of all examination passed.
4. A certificate (in original) of Caste signed by an authorized Revenue Officer now below the rank of Tehsildar.
5. An income declaration by the parents/guardians, stating definite income from all sources.
6. A receipt in acknowledgement of the scholarship in the previous year on the form attached to the application only duly countersigned by the Head of the Institution concerned, if the applicant was in receipt of a scholarship under this Scheme in the preceding year.
Application complete in all respect shall be submitted to the Head of the Institution being attended or last attended by the candidates and shall be addressed to an officer specified for this purpose by the Government of State/Union Territory to which the student belong in accordance with the instructions issued by them from time to time.
Incomplete applications received after the prescribed date will not be consider.

For more details, please visit:socialjustice.nic.in/postmatric.php?format=print