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Background

The Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the welfare of Minorities was announced in June, 2006. It provides that a pre-matric scholarship scheme for meritorious students from minority communities would be implemented.

Objective

The scholarship at pre-matric level will encourage parents from minority communities to send their school going children to school, lighten their financial burden on school education and sustain their efforts to support their children to complete school education. The scheme will form the foundation for their educational attainment and provide a level playing field in the competitive employment arena. Empowerment through education, which is one of the objectives of this scheme, has the potential to lead to upliftment of the socio economic conditions of the minority communities.

Scope

The scholarship will be awarded for studies in India in a government or private school from class I to class X, including such residential Government institutes and eligible private institutes selected and notified in a transparent manner by the State Government and Union Territory Administration concerned.

Eligibility

Scholarship will be awarded to the students who have secured not less than 50% marks in the previous final examination and annual income of their parents/guardian from all sources does not exceed Rs. 1 lakh

Distribution

Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) have been notified as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. The distribution of scholarship among the States/Union Territories will be made on the basis of population of minorities in the States/Union Territories of Census 2001.

Earmarking for Girl Students

30% of scholarship will be earmarked for girl students. In case sufficient numbers of eligible girl students are not available, then the balance earmarked scholarships may be awarded to eligible boy students.

Selection

As the number of scholarships for minorities available in a year is fixed and limited it is necessary to lay down preference for selection. Inter-selection weight age is to be given to poverty rather than marks. In case of the renewal applications, such applications would be fully exhausted before the new applications are considered.

Duration

The scholarships will be provided for the entire course. Maintenance allowance will be given for 10 months only in an academic year.

Rate of Scholarship

Actual financial assistance will be provided for admission/tuition fee and maintenance allowance as given below subject to a maximum ceiling indicated against item concerned

Sl. No.	Item	Hostellers*	Day Scholars
1	Admission fee from class VI to X	Rs. 500/- p.a. subject to actuals	Rs. 500/- p.a. subject to actuals
2	Tuition fee from class VI to X	Rs. 350/- p.m. subject to actuals	Rs. 350/- p.m. subject to actuals
3	Maintenance allowance will be payable for a period not exceeding 10 months in an academic year.
	Class I to V	Nil	Rs. 100/- p.m.
	Class VI to X	Rs. 600/- p.m. subject to actuals	Rs. 100/- p.m.

* Hostellers include students who are staying in hostel of the school/institute concerned or those provided by the State Government/Union Territory Administration concerned.

Implementing Agencies

The scheme will be implemented through the State Government/Union Territory Administration.

Conditions for Scholarship

1. Scholarship will be available to the students of minority community studying in Classes I to X . The continuance of award will be subject to securing 50% marks in the previous examination. Maintenance allowance will be provided to hostellers and day scholars.
2. The award will be discontinued if a student fails to secure 50% marks in the annual examination except in case of unavoidable reasons to be certified by the Principal/competent authority of the school and recommended by the State Government/Union Territory Administration.
3. Scholarship will not be given to more than two students from a family.
4. Students should be regular in attendance for which the yardstick will be decided by the competent authority of the school.
5. Income certificate should be on self-certification basis by way of affidavit on non-judicial stamp paper of self-employed parents/guardian and from employer for employed parents/guardian.
6. The school/institute will certify the claim of student of being an outstation student not residing in hostel of the school/institute concerned on the basis of permanent address and parents’ address.
7. Migration of student from one school/institute to another would not normally be during the course of academic year except under exceptional circumstances and in the interest of student’s academic career.
8. If a student violates school discipline or any other terms and conditions of the scholarship, scholarship may be suspended or cancelled. The State Government/Union Territory Administration can also directly cancel the award if duly satisfied of the reasons of violation of these regulations governing the scheme.
9. 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/Union Territory Administration.
10. The State Government/Union Territory Administration will lay down the detailed procedure for processing and sanctioning of scholarship to eligible students.
11. Course fee/Tuition fee will be credited to the school’s/institute’s bank account. Efforts will be made for transferring it electronically through the banks.
12. Maintenance allowance will be credited to the student’s bank account. Efforts will be made for transferring it electronically through the banks.
13. The State Government/Union Territory Administration will maintain normal and records relating to the funds received from the Ministry and they will be subjected to inspection by the officers of the Ministry or any other agency designated by the Ministry.
14. The student obtaining benefits under this scheme shall not be allowed to avail of benefits under any other scheme for this purpose.
15. A student shall be eligible for only one scholarship for all sources, i.e., SC/ST/OBC.
16. The State Governments/Union Territory Administration shall constitute a committee of the Departments implementing such scholarship schemes to ensure that the student from the minority community, who may also belong to children of those engaged in unclean occupation and OBC do not avail scholarship from other sources for the same purpose and avail only one source. The fund for distribution of scholarship in subsequent year will be released after receiving the Utilization Certificate for the previous year.
17. The scheme will be evaluated at regular intervals by the Ministry or any other agency designated by the Ministry and the cost of the evaluation will be borne by the Ministry of Minority Affairs under the provision of the scheme.
18. The State/Union Territory shall place all relevant details of financial and physical achievements on their website.
19. The regulations can be changed at any time at the discretion of the Government of India.

Administrative Expenses

As the magnitude of data to be entered and processed would be enormous and the scheme gets implemented over the years, there would be a need to engage qualified skilled personnel right from the beginning to ensure that the data based computerized systems are operational. Qualified skilled personnel possessing requisite expertise to operate computer programme designed for this purpose, enter, process, analyse, monitor, retrieve and transfer data should be engaged on contract basis as per need. Data provided by the States/Union Territories will be maintained and managed by the Ministry with personnel of similar expertise to engage on contract basis.

A provision not exceeding 1% of the total budget will be made to meet the administrative and allied costs viz.. expenditure of the States/Union Territories for office equipments including computers and accessories, furniture, printing of application forms, advertisement, engagement of personnel, etc. This provision will also be used for evaluation and monitoring of the scheme, through outside reputed institutions/agencies engaged by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India or by the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations.

Renewal of Scholarship

The scholarship, once awarded, may be renewed during next academic year of the course on the production of certificate that the student has secured 50% marks.

Announcement of Scheme

The scheme will be announced by the concerned State Government/Union Territory Administration well in time, by giving advertisements in the leading language newspapers and local dailies/vernacular and by using other suitable publicity media.

Mode of Applying

The concerned State Government/Union Territory Administration will supply the application forms, till such time computerized systems are made operational by the State Government/Union Territory Administrations. The application forms should be received back along with requisite certificates/certifications within the stipulated period.

Pattern of Financial Assistance

Funding pattern between Centre and States will be in the ratio of 75:25. Union Territories will be provided 100 percent Central assistance.

Monitoring & Tranparency

The States/Union Territories implementing the scheme shall monitor the financial and physical performance of the scheme at State/Union Territory level. For this purpose, an I.T. enabled mechanism shall be in place. The State/Union Territory will be required to furnish quarterly financial and physical progress reports to the Ministry. The State/Union Territory shall maintain year-wise details of the students receiving scholarship, indicating school/institute, location of school/institute, government or private, class, gender, new or renewal, permanent address and parents’ address. States/Union Territories shall place relevant physical and financial details in their official website.

Evaluation

The monitoring of the financial and physical performance of the scheme will be evaluated by assigning evaluation/impact studies to reputed institutions/agencies by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India.