The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved changes in the centrally sponsored Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste students on December 23. This scheme allows students to pursue any course from Class 11, with the government providing for the cost of education.
The scheme aims to benefit more than four crore SC students in the next five years and, for the same, a total investment of over Rs 59,000 crore has been approved, of which Rs 35,534 crore would be the Centre's share.
"This replaces the existing ''committed liability'' system and brings greater involvement of the Central government in this crucial scheme. The focus of the scheme would be on enrolling the poorest students, timely payments, comprehensive accountability, continuous monitoring and total transparency," an official statement said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and said, “Today's Cabinet decision on post-matric scholarship will ensure greater educational access to youngsters belonging to SC communities. Ensuring top quality and affordable education to our youth is an important focus area for our government.”
Today's Cabinet decision on post-matric scholarship will ensure greater educational access to youngsters belonging to SC communities. Ensuring top quality and affordable education to our youth is an important focus area for our Government. https://t.co/JHBBhEZOM8
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 23, 2020
The existing pattern is a “committed liability” formula, the new funding pattern would increase the Centre's involvement in the scheme.
The amount would be sent to the beneficiaries' accounts directly. From the academic year 2021-22, the Central share (60 per cent) in the scheme would be released on Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode directly into the bank accounts of the students as per fixed time schedule.
Centre has planned to work in coordination with the states to run a campaign for enrolling students from the poorest households.
Social Justice Secretary R Subrahmanya said, “Around 1.36 crore students who would otherwise drop out after Class 10 would be brought into the higher education system under the scheme. A campaign for enrolling students from the poorest households would be carried out.”
