Merit Cum Means Based Scholarship For Professional and Technical Courses

The objective of the Merit Cum Means Based Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to the poor and meritorious students belonging to minority communities to enable them to pursue professional and technical courses.

The scholarship is to be awarded for studies in India in a Government or private institution, selected and notified in a transparent manner by the State Government/Union Territory Administration concerned. It will cover technical and professional courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Eligibility Criteria for Merit Cum Means Based Scholarship

The scholarship will be awarded to the students who have secured not less than 50% marks
or equivalent grade in the previous final examination and the annual income of whose
parents/guardians from all sources do not exceed Rs.2.50 lakh.

Distribution

Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jain and Zoroastrians (Parsis) have been notified as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. A total of 60,000 scholarships are targeted to be distributed as ‘Fresh’ Scholarships, besides, Renewal scholarships. The distribution of scholarship among the States/Union Territories will be made on the basis of population of minorities in the States/Union Territories as per Census 2001 for 2017-18 and as per the population of minorities in the States/Union Territories of Census 2011 for 2018-19 and 2019-20 (as per Appendices- A & B).

Earmarking

30% scholarship is earmarked for girls students of each minority community in a State/UT which is transferable to male students of that community in case of non-availability of female students in that community in the concerned State/UT. 30% is the floor and not the ceiling for eligible girl students.

If the physical target of scholarship for a particular minority community in a state/UT is not utilized, it will be distributed among the same minority community in other States/UTs strictly in accordance with merit and without disturbing the national ratio for the Community. Any unutilized community quota shall be distributed amongst other communities again in accordance with merit and without affecting overall national quota.

A student residing in a particular State/UT will be entitled to scholarship under the quota of that State/UT only irrespective of his/her place of study.

Selection Procedure

The scheme is implemented through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). It is mandatory for all students to apply online on the website i.e. www.scholarships.gov.in.

Fresh Registration – The number of scholarship has been fixed State/UT-wise on the basis of the Community-wise minority population of the States/UTs as per Census 2001 (2017-18) & 2011 (2018-20). Within the State-wise allocations, the applications from Listed Institutions will be exhausted first in the merit list. In case number of such students is more than the State/Community-wise quota, normal merit list criteria shall be followed. Other verified applicant/student will be selected in the merit list, thereafter, on merit basis i.e. Percentage/marks of last academic course/board (higher secondary / graduation) exam. In case of similar marks, income will be taken as deciding factor.

Renewal Registration – There is no merit list generation for renewal cases. Renewal
the applicant will get the scholarship if one has obtained 50% in his/her previous year’s
examinations (or in each semester/trimester of previous year’s) their application is
approved by State Governments/UTs.

Instruction related to Bank Account (to be filled in the online application form)

(i) Students must select their bank/branch name carefully from the drop-down list.

(ii) Thereafter the complete account no. must be entered correctly. Students are suggested to get their account number verified by their concerned Bank Branch including Bank account number and IFS Code.

(iii) Disclaimer (*If bank details entered by students are found incorrect, the scholarship will be canceled/amount will not be transferred even though the application is approved for scholarship).

(iv) Bank Account holders must check their ‘Know your Customer’ (KYC) status from a bank and if required the KYC must be done for successful transaction of scholarship amount.

(v) Bank Account must be operational/active till the scholarship is disbursed. Ministry of Minority Affairs will not be responsible in case of transaction failure in the account given by the applicant.

(vi) Bank Account must be preferably in any scheduled Bank with core banking facility and proper IFS Code.

(vii) Bank Account must be in the name of the student.

Duration

The scholarship will be provided for the entire academic year/course. Similarly, the maintenance allowance will be given as a fixed lump sum amount for an academic year (Rs. 10,000/- for Hosteller and Rs. 5,000/- for Day Scholar).

Awards and Benefits of Merit Cum Means Based Scholarship

The details of the scheme interventions for the three years viz.2017-18 to 2019-20 are
as under:

* For 10 months in an academic year.

There is a list of 85 Reputed Premier Institutes, covered under the scheme, for which a student is eligible for full Course Fee reimbursement as scholarship during an academic year.

Terms and Conditions:

• Students who get admission to a college to pursue technical/professional courses, on the basis of a competitive examination will be eligible for the scholarship.
• Financial assistance will be given to pursue graduate level or postgraduate level technical and professional courses from a recognized institution Admission and Course fee and Maintenance allowance for the year of the scholarship will be credited/transferred directly into the bank account of selected students.
• Students who get admission in technical/professional courses without taking any competitive examination will also be eligible for the scholarship. However, such students should have secured not less than 50% marks in last qualifying exam at higher secondary/graduation level in case of Fresh Scholarship only. Selection of these students will be done strictly on merit basis
• An Income Certificate, issued from a Competent Authority in the State/UT Governments is required in respect of parent/guardian of the student.
• A Self-Certified Community Certificate is required from the student who has attained 18 years of age. For others, the Community Certificate certified by the parent/guardian of the student is required.
•  The continuance of award (for Renewal applicants) will be subject to securing 50% marks in the previous year’s examination (each semester/trimester of previous year provided the students pursues the same course in the same Institute).
• Maintenance allowance will be provided to hostellers and day scholars.
• The award will be discontinued if a student fails to secure 50% marks in the previous annual examination (as stated in para-vi above).
• A scholarship will not be given to more than two students from a family (applicable for all three Scholarship schemes meant for minorities under this Ministry has taken together).
• Students should be regular in attendance for which the yardstick will be decided by the competent authority of the institutions.
• The institute will certify the claim of the student of being an outstation student not residing in a hostel of the institute concerned on the basis of permanent address and parents’ address.
• Migration of students from one school/institute to another is not allowed for renewal applicants during the period of academic course.
• If a student violates an institution’s discipline or any other terms and conditions of the scholarship, the 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.
• 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 by the concerned State/UT Govt. The student shall also be blacklisted and debarred for scholarship in any scheme forever.
• The Course fees and the Maintenance allowance (for 2017-20) will be credited to the student’s bank account directly under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
• The student obtaining benefits under this scheme shall not be allowed to avail of benefits under any other scheme for this purpose.
• A student shall be eligible for only one scholarship out of all the available Scholarships of Central Government meant for SC/ST/OBC/minority.
• The number of Administrative Expenses (@ 2%) for States/UTs in a subsequent year shall be released after receiving the Utilization Certificate for the previous years.
• 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.
• The State/Union Territory shall place all relevant details of financial and physical achievements on their website.
• The regulations can be changed at any time at the discretion of the Government of India.
• A scholarship will not be paid for the period of internship/horsemanship in the M.B.B.S. course or for a practical training in other courses if the student is in receipt of some remuneration during the internship period or some allowance/stipend during the practical training in other courses.
• It will be necessary for the eligible applicants to provide Aadhaar number while applying for the scholarship and in case, an individual does not possess Aadhaar one can provide the details of alternative identification documents, as stated in the Gazette Notification No. 1137, dated 21.04.2017.
• Students who have entered Aadhaar in their online application correctly and Aadhaar seeded with any of their bank accounts, in such cases the amount of scholarship will be credited to Aadhaar seeded bank account only (though a student has mentioned any other non-seeded bank account in the online application).
• The scholarship is dependent on the satisfactory progress and conduct of the scholar. If it is reported by the Head of the Institution at any time that a scholar has by reasons of his/her own act of 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 scholarship may either cancel the scholarship or stop or withhold further payment for such period as it may think fit.
• A scholar is liable to refund the scholarship amount, if during the course of the year, the studies for which the scholarship has been awarded, is discontinued or change in the subject of study.
• The regulations under the scheme can be changed at any time at the discretion of the Government of India.
• The list of Graduate Degree level and Post Graduate level technical and professional courses under Merit cum Means based Scholarship scheme is available on the website of this Ministry.

Administrative Expenses

As the magnitude of data to be entered and processed would be enormous as 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 computerised systems are operational.

Qualified skilled personnel possessing the 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 be engaged on contract basis. A provision not exceeding 2% of the total budget will be made to meet the administrative and allied costs viz. expenditure of the States/Union Territories and the Ministry for office equipment including computers and accessories, furniture, printing of application forms, advertisements, 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 and the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations.

Renewal of Scholarship

The scholarship, once awarded, may be renewed during the next academic year of the course on the production of a certificate that the student has secured 50% marks in the previous year’s examination (each semester/trimester of previous year provided the students pursues the same course in the same Institute).

The announcement of the Scholarship Scheme

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

Monitoring and Transparency

The Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme is being implemented through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), maintained by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Delhi. Hence, NIC, Delhi, shall maintain year-wise details of the students receiving the scholarship, indicating school/institute, a location of school/institute, government or private, class, gender, new or renewal, permanent address and parents’ address. NIC, Delhi, shall place relevant physical and financial details on the NSP under the LogIns of all concerned State holders including States, Union Territories, etc.

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.

Modification in Merit Cum Means Based Scholarship

The progress of implementation of the scheme shall be reviewed by the Joint Secretary I/c of Scholarship Schemes in Ministry of Minority Affairs on monthly basis. Quarterly Review shall be done by Secretary, Minority Affairs, Government of India.