Benefits and Eligibility of Minority scholarships in India

Introduction to Scholarship for minority students

India is known to be the most diverse country in the world. People from multiple religions, casts, and classes live together in harmony. Some of them are classified as minority communities. They are financially backward and can’t afford school and college fees. The Indian government created minority scholarships. According to the census year 2011, the population of minorities is 19.3%. These are the minorities and their population. 

No.	Minorities	Population
1	Muslims	14.2
2	Christians	2.3
3	Sikhs	1.7
4	Buddhists	0.7
5	Jains	0.4
6	Parsis	0.006

These scholarships support education in Arts, Science, Technology, Pharmacy, and other skill-based courses. The Indian government has spent over INR 20,000 crores on these minority scholarship schemes. Let’s know more about them. 

Minority scholarships

The Indian constitution has accepted basic human rights. One of these rights is the right to education. Everyone in India has a basic right to pursue an education, but not everyone can afford it. The minority community is among them. The government launched scholarship programs for such students. 

The Prime Minister of India added new points regarding higher education to the welfare of minorities in 2006. Then this year, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology announced the e-Scholarship scheme. 

The Ministry of Minority Affairs provides four minority scholarships. They are as follows.

Pre-matric scholarship schemes for minority students

This scholarship is for school students from standard 1st to 10th. You can avail of this scholarship at the Government schools and selected private schools by the State Government and Union Territory. This scholarship is given under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. 

The Government distributes over 30 lakh scholarships under this scheme. The number of scholarships is determined according to the population of minority students. The selection process follows a merit system but also considers financially poor students. 

The application process for this scholarship starts on 30th September 2022. The final date for the verification of the application is 16th October 2022. It is offered to the students with a minimum of 50% marks in the previous standard examination. The annual income of parents or guardians should not exceed INR 1 lakh to be eligible for this scholarship. 

Post matric scholarship schemes for minority students

This is the scholarship scheme for students pursuing higher secondary education. They must be studying in Government institutions or selected private colleges by the State government and Union Territories. It also covers vocational courses in Industrial Training Institutes and National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT).

You need to obtain a minimum of 50% marks in the previous examination. The annual income of a parent or guardian should not be more than INR 2 lakh. The application process for this scholarship starts on 31st October 2022 and ends on 15th November 2022. 

Merit cum means scholarship for professional and technical courses.

This scholarship is given to students who want to pursue skill-based diploma courses. They can be technical courses like Industrial Training. The student should be enrolled in Government institutions or select private colleges. 

The eligibility criteria for this scholarship are the same as the other schemes. You must obtain a minimum of 50% in the previous examination. The annual income of the parent or guardian shouldn’t exceed INR 2.5 lakhs. The application process for this scheme starts on 31st October 2022 and ends on 15th November 2022. 

Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship

This scholarship is specifically designed for girls in minority communities and it is one of the best minority scholarship for college students. It was previously known as the Maulana Azad National Scholarship for Meritorious girl students belonging to minorities. It was launched in 2003. 

This scholarship covers the annual fee for the school and colleges. The state government or union territories announce the application dates for the scholarships. For the current year, the application starts on 30th September and ends on 16th October. The scholarship provides INR 5k for the standard 9th and 10th and INR 6k for the standard 11th and 12th. 

Required documents for the application

You will need to attach some documents to your application. These are the documents you need to submit.

• Self-attested certificate of the previous class mark sheet or any certificate course you have studied
• Income and caste certificate
• Community certificate
• Copy of Adhar Card
• Photo ID
• Institution verification form
• Fee receipt of the current year
• Scanned copy of bank passbook

How to apply for the scholarships

You can apply for minority scholarships online. The application process is pretty simple. Let’s take a look at it step-by-step.

Step1- Go to the official website of scholarships provided by the government of India, http://www.scholarships.gov.in.

Step2- Sign in to the website by putting your email and creating a password. Then log in again to the website.

Step3- You will find the section for central scholarships and a table with these four scholarships. They would be mentioned under the Ministry of Minority Affairs. You can check the application dates in that table. 

Steps4- There will be an ‘Application corner’ on the left side of the website. You will find the ‘Student registration form’ there. Click on it and fill the form with accurate information. 

Step5- Attach the needed documents mentioned above to the application form. Recheck the form for accurate details. Then click on submit. 

You will get an email if you have been selected for the scholarship scheme at your registered mail address. 

Other minority scholarships

There are other scholarship schemes for minority students. The state governments provide these schemes. They are as follows.

• National Overseas Scholarship for Minority Students, Karnataka
• Minority Higher Secondary Scholarship, Gujarat
• Swami Vivekananda Scholarship, Gujarat
• Merit Scholarship Scheme for Minorities, Delhi
• Scholarship Scheme for educationally backward Minority Applicants, Delhi
• Scholarship program for Minority Class, Maharashtra

Key takeaways

• The minority scholarship schemes have proved beneficial for the communities since the day it was launched.
• You can know the application dates for the scholarship schemes from newspapers and the official website.
• These scholarships work on a selection basis. You can find out if you are selected or not on the website itself.

We hope you find this information helpful. Write to us your comments. Click here to read more such articles. 

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FAQs

Q1. How much aggregate is needed for the Vivekanand scholarship program?

Answer: You need a minimum of 60% in the previous examination to be eligible for the Vivekanand scholarship program.

Q2. Is OBC a minority?

Answer: OBC does not come under the minority.

Q3. Can a student in the second year of graduation apply for a scholarship?

Answer: Yes, the student can apply for the scholarship based on their marks in the 12th standard.