Financial Assistance Scheme for Higher Competitive/Entrance Examination to SC/BC Students, Haryana

What is the Financial Assistance Scheme for Higher Competitive/Entrance Examination?

The Financial Assistance Scheme for Higher Competitive/Entrance Examination to SC/BC Students is run by the Directorate of Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes under Haryana's SEWA department. The scheme's purpose, according to the department, is to help Scheduled Caste and Backward Class students who face financial hardship that stops them from paying for coaching for prestigious examinations such as the IAS and other competitive tests.

The scheme is sometimes referred to locally as the pratiyogi pariksha coaching sahayata yojana. Its practical shape is simple: the state pays the coaching fee for an eligible student, and it pays that fee directly into the coaching institution's bank account. There is a companion arrangement listed by the department for assistance to SC and BC candidates coaching through private institutions, which carries the same income ceiling and the same two-chance rule.

Two features define how the scheme works in practice. First, the quantum of fee is not a flat figure fixed in the notification. A committee headed by the Secretary, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes determines the duration of coaching and the fee for each examination "keeping in view the market rates". Second, the department's own page records financial assistance of up to Rs 10,000 under the earlier version of the scheme, which is the last published rupee figure and is a useful reference point rather than a current guarantee.

Who is eligible for the Haryana SC/BC competitive exam coaching assistance?

You can apply if:

• You are a domicile of Haryana.
• You belong to a Scheduled Caste or a Backward Class notified in Haryana and hold a valid caste certificate.
• Your parents' or guardian's annual income does not exceed Rs 2.50 lakh. The department amended the scheme with effect from 1 June 2009 to raise this ceiling from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.50 lakh a year.
• You possess all the requisite qualifications required for the examination you intend to sit — the assistance is for a candidate who can actually appear, not for general preparation.
• This is your first or second chance at that particular examination.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You are not domiciled in Haryana, even if you are studying in the state.
• You belong to the general category or to any group other than Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes. Low family income alone does not qualify a student under this head.
• Your parental income exceeds Rs 2.50 lakh a year on the income certificate or the Parivar Pehchan Patra record.
• You have already availed the assistance twice for the same competitive examination. The rule is explicit: no more than two chances for a particular examination.
• You do not hold the qualification the examination demands, for example applying for civil services coaching without a completed graduation where the examination requires it.
• You want the money in your own hands for books, travel or hostel fees. The payment is made only to the institution's account.

How much does the scheme pay?

The benefit is the coaching fee for the examination, not a stipend.

• The committee headed by the Secretary, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, fixes the coaching duration and the quantum of fee for each examination against prevailing market rates.
• The department page records financial assistance up to Rs 10,000 under the earlier formulation of the scheme.
• Payment is released to the bank account of the coaching institution.

Because the fee schedule is set administratively and revised, the only reliable figure for the current year is the one the District Welfare Officer quotes when the department advertises the scheme. Do not assume a figure from a coaching centre's brochure.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Haryana SC/BC competitive exam assistance

1. Watch for the department's advertisement. The Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes department invites applications by advertisement, and applications are submitted "as per the guidelines given in the advertisement".
2. Collect the application form from the District Welfare Officer (DWO) or the Tehsil Welfare Officer (TWO) of your district. The form can also be downloaded from the department's website.
3. Assemble the documents, caste certificate, Haryana domicile certificate, parental income certificate showing income up to Rs 2.50 lakh, Family ID, qualification certificates and Aadhaar.
4. Get the coaching institution's confirmation, including its fee demand letter, the course duration and its bank account details, because payment is routed to that account.
5. Fill and submit the form to the District Welfare Officer within the date stated in the advertisement, and take an acknowledgement with a diary number.
6. Follow up on the sanction. The DWO verifies caste, domicile, income and the number of chances already availed before the file is approved.
7. Confirm with the institution that the fee has been received in its account and that your seat has been adjusted accordingly.

If you need a fresh caste, domicile or income certificate before applying, apply for it on saralharyana.gov.in or at an Antyodaya Saral Kendra; these are separate services with their own timelines, so start them early.

How do I check the status of my application?

1. Note the diary number on the acknowledgement given by the District Welfare Office. This is the only reference the office works from.
2. Visit or call the District Welfare Officer's office and ask for the status against that diary number.
3. Ask the coaching institution's accounts desk whether the departmental payment has been credited against your name, which is the practical proof of sanction.
4. For a delayed file, escalate to the Directorate of Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, Panchkula.

There is no dedicated public online status tracker published for this scheme.

Why do applications get rejected?

• Third attempt at the same examination. The two-chance limit is applied strictly and is the most common reason for refusal.
• Parental income above Rs 2.50 lakh on the income certificate or on the Parivar Pehchan Patra record. Where the two disagree, the Family ID entry is usually treated as the operative one and must be corrected first.
• Missing Haryana domicile. Studying in Haryana is not the same as being domiciled there.
• Qualification not met for the targeted examination.
• Institution's bank details incomplete or wrong, which stalls the payment even after sanction.
• Application filed outside the advertised window, since the department invites applications in cycles rather than accepting them continuously.

Fixes: correct the income and category entries at meraparivar.haryana.gov.in, obtain a fresh domicile certificate through Saral, and refile at the next advertisement with a corrected undertaking on the number of chances used.

Where do I get help or complain?

• Directorate of Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, Bays No. 53-54, Kalyan Bhawan, Sector 2, Panchkula-134109. Phone 0172-2564006 and 0172-2567009, email dbcharyana[at]gmail[dot]com.
• District Welfare Officer / Tehsil Welfare Officer of your district for the form, the current fee schedule and the file itself.
• Antyodaya Saral helpline 0172-3968400 or toll-free 1800-2000-023 for the underlying caste, domicile and income certificates.

The application form is free. No coaching centre or agent is authorised to charge a student for "arranging" this assistance, and any such demand should be reported to the District Welfare Officer.