Students belonging to Scheduled Caste category the will be able to avail the benefits
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The social welfare department has announced its plans to disburse scholarships under the ‘Swadhar’ scheme to the Scheduled Caste (SC) students within the next 15 days. This initiative aims to provide financial assistance to eligible students who missed out on hostel admission during the 2022-23 academic year.
The department has acknowledged that around 4,500 to 5,000 students were unable to avail the benefits of the Swadhar scheme last year. To rectify this, a fund of Rs 11.51 crore has been allocated, which is expected to cover approximately 2,100 to 2,200 students. For the remaining students, additional funds have been requested from the social welfare commissionerate.
Boosting support with transferred funds
In a strategic move to maximize support, the social welfare regional office transferred approximately Rs 1.39 crore in unspent funds from Jalna district to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar last month. This has enabled the disbursement of scholarships to students from previous years as well as the current academic year to 200 to 300 students.
Eligibility criteria and benefits
The Swadhar scheme is specifically designed to provide financial assistance to meritorious students from Scheduled Castes who are pursuing education in classes XI and XII, as well as professional and non-professional courses. Students who are unable to secure hostel admission can receive scholarships up to Rs 51,000 to cover expenses related to food, accommodation, and other educational needs. However, the scheme is applicable only to those studying in colleges within a five-kilometer radius of the municipal corporation.