Gandhinagar, May 19 (IANS) The Gujarat government has approved a Rs 18 crore scholarship scheme to extend Post Matric Scholarship benefits to Scheduled Caste male students from middle-income families, widening eligibility criteria and bringing an estimated 3,000 additional students under financial assistance for the 2026–27 academic year.

The scheme already exists for Scheduled Caste female students.

The approval has been granted under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the leadership of Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr Pradyuman Vaja, according to a statement from the Social Justice and Empowerment Department.

The revised provision raises the annual family income ceiling from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs six lakh, allowing students from households in this income bracket to access state-supported educational aid for the first time under this category.

Officials said the earlier framework limited eligibility under the centrally sponsored Post Matric Scholarship scheme to Scheduled Caste (SC) students from families earning up to Rs 2.5 lakh annually.

With the new arrangement, students belonging to families with incomes between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs six lakh will now be covered through state funding, bridging a gap in coverage for lower-middle-income groups.

The scheme will provide an academic allowance along with reimbursement of approved non-refundable fees.

All financial assistance will be transferred directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism to ensure transparency and reduce delays in disbursement.

Eligibility criteria require students enrolling in diploma courses after Class 10 or Class 12 to have secured at least 50 per cent marks in their qualifying examinations.

For undergraduate courses, a minimum of 50 per cent marks in Class 12 is mandatory.

Continued academic performance with at least 50 per cent marks at the degree or diploma level will also be required for students pursuing higher studies.

The department stated that implementation will follow the guidelines of the centrally sponsored Post Matric Scholarship scheme.

The entire process, from application submission to approval, will be conducted online.

Monitoring will be carried out through the DBT portal and the Chief Minister’s Dashboard to track progress and ensure compliance.

Procurement of any required equipment or kits, where applicable, will be done exclusively through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).

The scheme will operate within the approved budget allocation and is capped at 3,000 beneficiaries. Oversight will be managed by the Director of Scheduled Caste Welfare.

To ensure accountability, the department has also provided for periodic social audits and third-party verification, with reports to be submitted to the state government for review.

–IANS

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