Lok Sabha Question No. 572 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-24
Subject: Schemes for Poor Students
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Hemant Tukaram Godse

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 572 ANSWERED ON - 24-07-2023

## Schemes for Poor Students

## †572.  SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR: SHRI HEMANT TUKARAM GODSE:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) the details of schemes/ projects being implemented by the Government to develop hidden talents of  poor  students  at  schools  and  colleges  level  in  rural  areas  of  the  country  particularly  in Maharashtra;

- (b) whether the Government proposes to constitute a fund specially meant for this purpose;
- (c) if so, the details thereof, State-wise and also the district-wise details of Maharashtra; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

- (a): The  details  of  the  schemes/  projects  being  implemented  by  both  Departments  under Ministry of Education, Government of India, at school and college level in the country are as follows: -

## 1. Department of School Education and Literacy:

- (i)  National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS).

Objective: The  Central  Sector  Scheme  'National  Means-cum-Merit  Scholarship  Scheme'  is being  implemented  with  the  objective  to award  scholarships  to meritorious students of economically  weaker  sections  to  arrest  their  drop  out  at  class  VIII  and  encourage  them  to continue their education at secondary stage. One lakh fresh scholarships are awarded to selected students  of  class  IX  every  year  and  their continuation  /  renewal in  classes  X  to  XII  for  study in State Government, Government-aided and Local body schools under the scheme.

Eligibility  criteria: Students  whose  parental  income  from  all  sources  is  not  more  than Rs.  3,50,000/-  per  annum  are  eligible  to  avail  the  scholarships.  The  students  must  have minimum  of  55  %  marks  or  equivalent  grade  in  Class  VII  examination  for  appearing  in selection test for award of scholarship (relaxable by 5% for SC/ST students) .  The students, who fulfill the eligibility criteria, must pass both the tests, i.e., Mental Ability Test (MAT) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) under NMMSS exam with at least 40 % marks in aggregate taken together for these two tests .  For the SC/ST students, this cut off is 32% marks .  The awardees  should  get  minimum  of  60%  marks  in  Class  X  for  continuation  of  scholarship (relaxable  by  5%  for  SC/ST  candidates) in  next  higher  classes.  For  continuing  the scholarship in class X and XII, the awardees should get clear promotion from class IX to class X and from class XI to class XII in the first attempt.

Scholarship rate: The amount of scholarship is Rs. 12000/- per annum.

Online  Portal: The  scheme  is  fully  on  boarded  on  National  Scholarship  Portal  (NSP)  from 2018-19. The Ministry sanctions funds from Annual Budget Provision for releasing them to SBI, the implementing bank for the scheme for disbursal of scholarships to students directly into their bank accounts by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) through Public Financial Management System (PFMS).

(ii) Navodaya Vidyalaya scheme provides for opening of a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in each  district  of  the  country  including  Maharashtra  state  to  provide  good  quality  modern education, free of cost to the talented students predominantly from rural areas without regard to their  socio-economic  bakground.  Almost  all  the  Jawahar  Navodaya  Vidyalayas  are  located  in rural areas.

As  on  31.03.2023,  total 2,93,588 students  are  enrolled  in  649  functional  Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas of the country. Although the reservation for rural students is at least 75%, 87.28  % ( 2,56,255 )  students  belong to rural areas are enrolled in NVS. Total 15,592 students were enrolled in 34 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas of Maharashtra state as on 31.03.2023, out of which 13,215 ( 84.76 % ) students belong to rural areas.

## 2. Department of Higher Education:

## Schemes implemented by the Scholarship Division under the umbrella scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsanhan [PM-USP] Yojana'

( i) Central Sector Scholarship Scheme for College and University Students (CSSS): Under the  scheme , financial  assistance  is  provided  for  pursuing  higher  studies  to  eligible  meritorious students. 82,000 fresh scholarships are available for award every year. These have been divided amongst the State Education Boards based on the State's population in the age group of 18-25 years. 50% scholarship slots are earmarked for the girl students. The scheme is covered under the DBT  w.e.f.  1.1.2013  wherein  the  scholarship  is  disbursed  directly  into  the  bank  account  of beneficiaries . CSSS has on-boarded the National Scholarship portal (www.scholarships.gov.in) with effect from 1.8.2015. The eligible pass-out students from the Academic Year 2015 onwards are required to apply online for fresh and renewal scholarship through the portal.  Total 16684 students were awarded scholarship under the scheme in 202223.

(ii) Central Sector Interest Subsidy Scheme (CSIS):The objective of the Scheme is to ensure that  no  one  from  the  Economically  Weaker  Sections  (EWS),  including  minorities,  SCs/STs, women and disabled, is denied access to professional higher education only for the reason that he or she is poor.  The scheme is intended to cover all those students belonging to EWS, with an annual  parental/  family  income  up  to  Rs.  4.5  lakh  per  year.  Under  the  Scheme,  full  interest subsidy  is  provided  during  the  moratorium  period  (course  period  plus  one  year),  on  the educational loan up to Rs. 7.5 lakh, from Scheduled Banks including Co-operative & Regional Rural  Banks,  under  the  Model  Educational  Loan  Scheme  of  Indian  Banks'  Association (IBA).  Disbursement of interest subsidy claims is done through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode into the student's Education Loan account. Every year an online portal is opened by the Canara Bank to enable the member banks to upload the interest subsidy claims.

(b) to (d): Does not arise.

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