Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for the Children of Parents/Guardians Engaged in Unclean and Hazardous Occupations - Goa

What is the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for children of parents in unclean and hazardous occupations?

Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for the Children of Parents/Guardians Engaged in Unclean and Hazardous Occupations is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented in Goa by the Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Goa. The scheme supports, through financial assistance, parents of children belonging to Other Disadvantaged Categories for the education of their wards at the pre-matric stage.

Its stated purposes are specific: to improve participation, to minimise the incidence of drop-out especially at the transition from primary to the next level and from elementary to the secondary stage, to help students perform better, and to give them a better chance of progressing to the post-matric stage of education.

Goa runs the scheme through the Chief Minister Scholarship Portal, cmscholarship.goa.gov.in, alongside its own state scholarships. The Directorate of Information and Publicity has published notices inviting online applications for centrally and state sponsored schemes through this portal.

How much does the scholarship pay?

With effect from 2022-23, students receive a consolidated academic allowance:

In addition, a 10 per cent extra allowance is given to Divyang (disabled) students. Disability is as defined under the relevant section of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The appropriate government designates persons with the requisite qualifications and experience as certifying authorities competent to issue the certificate of disability.

The 10 per cent uplift takes a day scholar to Rs 3,850 and a hosteller to Rs 8,800 in a year. The allowance is described as consolidated, which means it replaces the earlier practice of separate heads for books, stationery and maintenance rather than being paid on top of them.

Who is eligible for this scholarship?

You can apply if:

• You are a student and a resident of Goa.
• You are studying in Class 1 to 10 on a full-time basis.
• Your parents or guardians are engaged in an unclean or hazardous occupation, falling in one of these four categories, irrespective of caste or religion:
• Manual scavengers as defined under Section 2(1)(g) of the Manual Scavengers Act, 2013.
• Tanners and flayers.
• Waste pickers.
• Persons engaged in hazardous cleaning as defined in Section 2(1)(d) of the Manual Scavengers Act, 2013.

There is no family income ceiling under this component of the scheme.

You are not eligible if:

• Your parents' or guardians' occupation does not fall in one of the four categories above. The scheme is occupation-based, so a low-income family in an unrelated occupation cannot apply under this component.
• You are not studying full time in Class 1 to 10, for example because you are a part-time or correspondence student or have moved past matriculation.
• You are already holding another educational scholarship for the purpose of studying in Classes 1 to 10. A student who is awarded another scholarship must choose one of the two and inform the head of the institution of the option made.
• You cannot obtain the required occupation certificate. For the hazardous cleaning category, the certificate must come from the District Social Welfare Officer, an identified officer of the local body or civic agency, or any such authority as designated by the State Government.

What documents are required?

The occupation certificate is the pivot of the file. Unlike most scholarships, this one does not test income, so nothing else in the bundle can substitute for proof that the parent or guardian works in one of the four recognised occupations. For hazardous cleaning specifically, the certificate has to come from a designated authority, and getting that certificate is what takes the longest.

How to apply for the pre-matric scholarship in Goa

1. Visit the official website of the Chief Minister Scholarship Portal at cmscholarship.goa.gov.in.
2. Click on Registration. On the registration page, select Student Registration and click Click Here to proceed.
3. Fill out the Student Registration Form with your basic details. This is a one-time registration.
4. Log in using the user ID and password shared after the registration process, which arrives by SMS.
5. After registration, apply for the scheme you are eligible for. Based on the category selected by the student, a list of eligible schemes is shown after logging in.
6. Upload all required documents in the format and size the portal specifies.
7. Submit to your school or institution, which verifies the application and forwards it to the Directorate of Social Welfare.

How to track your application

The Chief Minister Scholarship Portal provides a Track Application option in the side navigation bar. Enter your Aadhaar number and date of birth to see the current stage of the application. A step-by-step application user manual is published at cmscholarship.goa.gov.in/UserGuid.aspx.

If the school or institution finds a problem with the form or with any uploaded document, it can send the application back for correction and resubmission, and that send-back appears on the same tracking screen.

Why applications get rejected

• Occupation certificate missing or from the wrong authority. For the hazardous cleaning category, only the District Social Welfare Officer, an identified officer of the local body or civic agency, or an authority designated by the State Government can issue it.
• Occupation does not fall in one of the four recognised categories.
• Student not studying full time in Class 1 to 10.
• Student already holds another educational scholarship for the same stage of study, without exercising and reporting the option.
• Bank passbook copy not attested, or in a name other than the beneficiary's.
• Documents uploaded in the wrong format or above the size limit.
• Disability certificate not from a designated certifying authority, in a claim for the extra 10 per cent.
• Application submitted but not verified by the school before the window closed.

Key dates

The scheme does not carry a fixed statutory last date in Goa. Application windows are notified each academic year on the Chief Minister Scholarship Portal, and the Directorate of Information and Publicity has previously published notices inviting online applications for centrally and state sponsored schemes on the same portal. Families should complete the one-time student registration early in the academic year and obtain the occupation certificate in advance, because that certificate typically takes the longest and is the one document with no substitute.

Where to get help

• Chief Minister Scholarship Portal: cmscholarship.goa.gov.in, including the application user manual and contact page.
• Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Goa, which implements the scheme in the state.
• District Social Welfare Officer, for the occupation certificate in the hazardous cleaning category.
• The head of the school or institution, who is the first point of contact once the application has been submitted for verification.

Applying is free of charge on the portal.