Kanya Dhan Scheme for SC Students

What is the Kanya Dhan Scheme for SC students in Goa?

Kanya Dhan for Scheduled Caste (SC) is a state scheme of the Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Goa, notified vide No. 59/10/200506/BC dated 16 June 2016. According to the Directorate's scheme page, the objective is "to promote educational status of SC girl child".

Kanya Dhan works differently from an ordinary scholarship. Instead of paying a monthly stipend, the scheme sets aside Rs 25,000 as a fixed deposit in the name of a Scheduled Caste girl at the point where she has passed Class 10 and joined Class 11. The deposit is released to her after she successfully completes Class 12 within one year. The structure is an anti-dropout device: the money is visible and promised at the start of higher secondary school, but only reaches her hand if she finishes it.

The Directorate of Social Welfare is the department that implements schemes for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, destitutes, prisoners and their dependents, and Safai Karmacharis in Goa. Kanya Dhan sits in the Directorate's educational schemes group alongside the Saral Vidya Sahay pre-matric scholarship, the Meritorious Scholarship to SC/OBC students, the pre-matric scholarship for children of families in hazardous cleaning occupations, and the scholarship to nursing students.

Who is eligible for Kanya Dhan in Goa?

A girl can be sanctioned Kanya Dhan if:

• She belongs to a Scheduled Caste community notified for Goa, evidenced by a caste certificate.
• She has passed Class 10 and has secured admission in Class 11.
• Her household income does not exceed Rs 1,20,000 per annum, evidenced by an income certificate.
• She files the application in the prescribed form with her Aadhaar card copy.

A student is not eligible if:

• She is not from a Scheduled Caste. Kanya Dhan under this notification is a Scheduled Caste scheme; OBC, ST and general-category girls cannot apply under it.
• Her household income exceeds Rs 1,20,000 a year.
• She has not taken admission to Class 11. The scheme is triggered at the Class 10 to Class 11 transition, not at any other stage.
• Boys cannot apply. The benefit is expressly for the SC girl child.

There is no marks threshold published for Kanya Dhan, passing Class 10 and joining Class 11 is the qualification. That distinguishes it from the Directorate's separate Meritorious Scholarship to SC/OBC Students, which is awarded on performance.

How much is the Kanya Dhan benefit and when is it paid?

Because the benefit is held as a fixed deposit, the family should not plan on it for Class 11 fees, uniforms or books. Those costs are what the Directorate's other schemes: Saral Vidya Sahay for Classes 5 to 10, and the post-matric scholarships — are meant to cover. Kanya Dhan is a completion incentive.

What documents are required for Kanya Dhan?

Caste and income certificates in Goa are issued through the Mamlatdar of the taluka. Both are the documents that most often hold a Kanya Dhan file up, so get them made well before the portal window.

How to apply for Kanya Dhan Scheme for SC students

1. Pass Class 10 and take admission in Class 11. Keep the marksheet and the admission receipt or bonafide certificate from the higher secondary school.
2. Obtain a caste certificate and an income certificate from the Mamlatdar of your taluka. The income certificate must show household income not exceeding Rs 1,20,000 per annum.
3. Open or confirm a bank account in the student's name and seed it with her Aadhaar number, so the maturity amount can be credited later without a name mismatch.
4. Register on the Goa scholarship portal at cmscholarship.goa.gov.in and select the Kanya Dhan scheme under the Directorate of Social Welfare.
5. Fill the application in the prescribed form, entering the student's details, school details, caste and income particulars and bank details.
6. Upload the scanned documents, caste certificate, income certificate, Aadhaar card, Class 10 marksheet and Class 11 admission proof.
7. Submit and save the acknowledgement or application number shown on screen. Take a printout, since follow-up with the Directorate is easier with it.
8. Have the school verify the application if the portal routes it through the institution, and then track the sanction status on the portal.

How to apply offline if the portal is not accessible

1. Visit the Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Goa, 18th June Road, Panjim, and ask for the Kanya Dhan application in the prescribed form.
2. Submit the filled form with self-attested copies of the caste certificate, income certificate, Aadhaar card, Class 10 marksheet and Class 11 admission proof.
3. Collect a dated acknowledgement, and follow up on 0832-2232257 or 0832-2223784.

How to check your Kanya Dhan status

Log in to cmscholarship.goa.gov.in with the credentials used at registration and open the application status screen for the Kanya Dhan scheme. If the status does not move for a long period, contact the Directorate of Social Welfare on 0832-2232257 or 0832-2223784, or write to socialwelfaregoa@rediffmail.com, quoting the application number and the name of the higher secondary school.

At the maturity stage, the release of the Rs 25,000 depends on proof that Class 12 was completed within one year, so keep the Class 12 marksheet ready and submit it to the Directorate as soon as results are declared.

Why Kanya Dhan applications get rejected

• Income certificate above Rs 1,20,000. The ceiling is fixed and there is no published relaxation.
• Caste certificate not in the student's name, or issued by an authority outside Goa. The certificate should be a Goa-issued one for a caste notified for the state.
• No Class 11 admission proof. An application filed immediately after the Class 10 result, before admission is confirmed, is incomplete.
• Aadhaar and bank name mismatch. This does not usually block sanction, but it blocks the credit when the deposit matures. Fix it early.
• Application filed for a boy or for an OBC girl. The scheme text limits the benefit to a Scheduled Caste girl child.
• Class 12 not completed within one year. This affects the release rather than the sanction. Approach the Directorate rather than assuming the deposit is forfeited.

Where to raise a grievance

Grievances go to the Director, Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Goa, 18th June Road, Panjim, Goa, telephone 0832-2232257 or 0832-2223784, fax 0832-2228172, email socialwelfaregoa@rediffmail.com. The Directorate publishes the Kanya Dhan scheme details, including the notification number and the income ceiling, on socialwelfare.goa.gov.in, so an applicant who is refused can check the rule against the refusal.

No fee is charged for a Kanya Dhan application, and no agent is required. Caste and income certificates are issued by the Mamlatdar at the notified government fee only.