The schools have been instructed by the Tribal Development Department, Backward Class Welfare Department, and Scheduled Caste Welfare Department that students from  Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Class, and  Economically Backward Classes categories are eligible for scholarships up to Class 12. 

However, the government has mandated that students’ names must be included in their ration cards to be eligible for the scholarship.

Requirements for scholarship

Students’ names must be included in their ration cards.

They must have a valid Aadhaar card.

Their gender must be specified on the ration card.

They must have a linked bank account with biometric e-KYC verification.

In government primary schools, students from grades 1 to 5 receive a scholarship of ₹1,650, while students from grades 6 to 8 receive ₹1,950. 

Applications for this scholarship must be submitted through the Digital Gujarat portal, but obtaining this scholarship has become cumbersome and difficult.

Student's complaint

A class 7 student from a school wrote a letter to the principal complaining about the excessive paperwork required for the scholarship. The student mentioned that their parents were tired of sprinting to and fro from government offices to complete the necessary documents.

The student’s mother even expressed disinterest in pursuing the scholarship due to the hassle involved.

Complex procedure

The registration site is often slow, leading to frequent errors. When applying for the scholarship early in the morning, a maximum of about 10 entries can be made in an hour. So far, only about 40% of the students have had their applications submitted. Furthermore, without e-KYC, applications cannot be processed. The e-KYC process itself is quite complicated.

Teachers must open the PDS+ application, which sends an OTP to the guardian’s mobile. After generating this, Aadhaar KYC must be completed by entering the ration card number, which again generates an OTP for the guardian’s mobile.

The e-KYC process requires marking the student’s name from the ration card members, capturing their photo, and again receiving an OTP for this action. It takes time to capture the photo, and after capturing it, the student’s Aadhaar details must be confirmed before submitting for approval. Only then is the e-KYC completed, allowing the scholarship application to be submitted.

Some parents also feel that the scholarship is not worth the hassle.