Haryana State Meritorious Incentive Scheme for Students who Attain Merit Position in CBSE Annual Exams

What is the Haryana State Meritorious Incentive Scheme?

Haryana State Meritorious Incentive Scheme for students who attain merit position in CBSE annual examinations is an award run by the Directorate of Higher Education, Government of Haryana. According to the scheme document published on the department's centralised scholarship portal, the object is to encourage meritorious students who have attained top position in CBSE annual examinations by giving them a substantial amount as a motivating incentive, and to encourage excellence in academics and the overall development of students.

The scheme is unusually narrow and unusually generous at the same time. Only two students at each of two stages are covered: one boy and one girl who stand first in the CBSE class 10 annual examination, and one boy and one girl who stand first in the CBSE class 12 annual examination, but what they receive is not a fixed stipend. The amount of the incentive is equal to the school or college fee they actually pay each year, and it continues until they finish graduation.

Note on the name. The scheme is listed in several places, including scheme directories, under a "for the financially poor" label. The official scheme document does not impose any income test; it says in as many words that there is no income limit for these awards. Readers searching for the "financially poor" variant of the Haryana State Meritorious Incentive Scheme are looking at this CBSE toppers scheme, which is selected on merit alone.

A separate and differently funded scheme of similar name, the Haryana State Meritorious Incentive Scheme for students who attain merit position in annual university examinations, gives Rs 5,000, Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 a year to the first, second and third position holders in each stream in government colleges. That is a different award with different rules, and should not be confused with the CBSE scheme described here.

Who is eligible for the Haryana State Meritorious Incentive Scheme?

You can be considered if:

• You stood first in the CBSE class 10 or class 12 annual examination at state level, as a boy or as a girl. The merit lists for boys and girls are separate, so one of each is selected at each stage.
• You hold Haryana domicile. The scheme document states the incentive is given only to students who are Haryana domiciles.
• The school from which you passed the examination is situated in Haryana.
• You will pursue your studies as a regular student. The incentive equals the fee paid annually and continues until the completion of the degree at graduation level.
• For class 10, you scored 92% or more in English, Science and Technology, Mathematics, Social Science and the best one of the remaining subjects. Applications are called from students meeting this bar after CBSE results are declared.
• For class 12, you scored 90% and above in English and the best four of the remaining subjects in Science (Medical and Non-Medical), Commerce or Humanities.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You did not top the CBSE state merit list for your class and gender.
• You are not a Haryana domicile, even if you studied in Haryana.
• Your school is located outside Haryana.
• You are a class 12 student in a vocational course. Vocational stream students are expressly excluded.
• You are already holding another scholarship or stipend from the State Government or from any other source. The award holder is not eligible for any other scholarship or stipend.
• You failed or got a compartment. Failed and compartment students are not considered for this award in future.
• You are studying through correspondence, an open university, or as a private candidate rather than as a regular student.

How much does the Haryana State Meritorious Incentive pay?

Class 10 topper

The incentive is given to a class 10 CBSE topper if he or she takes up higher studies at the 10+2 level and up to degree level. The entire fee is paid by the State Government until the completion of graduation in any stream, subject to two ceilings:

Class 12 topper

The incentive is available to a class 12 CBSE topper who pursues higher studies in any stream. The amount is equal to the fee paid to the institution annually, not exceeding Rs 1 lakh in a year per topper, and continues till the completion of the degree or graduation.

Two things follow from that design. First, the benefit is a reimbursement of actual fees, not a flat grant, so a topper studying in a low-fee government college receives only that lower fee. Second, the class 10 topper's benefit runs for longer: through 10+2 and then through a degree — so it can be worth considerably more in total than the class 12 award.

Payment method. The scheme document notes that payment will be made through Direct Benefit Transfer from 2021-22 after approval from the higher authority. The money goes into the student's own bank account.

How to apply for the Haryana State Meritorious Incentive Scheme

1. Wait for the CBSE annual result for class 10 or class 12 to be declared. Nothing happens before results, because the merit position is what the whole scheme turns on.
2. Approach the head of your institution. The scheme states that in order to determine the top position, applications are called from students through the head of the institution after the declaration of CBSE results every year. Your principal is the route, not a direct submission.
3. Confirm you meet the marks threshold before applying to 92% or more in the five specified class 10 subjects, or 90% and above in English plus the best four remaining subjects for class 12.
4. Assemble the documents; CBSE mark sheet, Haryana domicile certificate, proof of continuing study as a regular student, annual fee receipt, an undertaking that no other scholarship is being drawn, and Aadhaar-seeded bank details for DBT.
5. Submit the application through the head of the institution to the Directorate of Higher Education, and keep a receipt or acknowledgement.
6. Watch the centralised scholarship portal at harchhatravratti.highereduhry.ac.in, where the Directorate of Higher Education publishes scheme notices, guidelines and application tracking.
7. Renew each year by submitting the fresh fee receipt and proof of continuing regular study, since the incentive is an annual payment that runs until graduation.

How is the topper selected?

Selection is made strictly on merit. The scheme document sets out the mechanism:

• Two separate merit determinations are made, one for class 10 and one for class 12, and within each, one boy and one girl are selected at state level.
• Marks in the specified subject combinations decide the position, rather than overall aggregate alone.
• Where more than one student secures equal marks or percentage of marks, the award is given to all such students. This is a notable departure from the university-examination version of the scheme, which breaks ties by looking at marks in main subjects.
• The regulation can be changed at any time at the discretion of the government.

How do I check the status of my application?

The Directorate of Higher Education operates a centralised online scholarship system at harchhatravratti.highereduhry.ac.in, which carries a Track Application facility along with scheme notices and guideline PDFs. Because this particular incentive is routed through the head of the institution rather than a self-service online form, the practical first check is with your principal's office, followed by the directorate.

The scheme also appears on the Haryana State DBT portal at dbtharyana.gov.in, listed under the Department of Higher Education as the meritorious incentive scheme for students attaining first position in CBSE annual exams in the state. The DBT portal is the place to confirm that a payment has been processed.

Why does an incentive claim fail?

• Not the state topper. The commonest disappointment. Scoring above the 92% or 90% threshold only makes a student eligible to be considered; the award goes to the first-position holders.
• No Haryana domicile, even where the school is in Haryana.
• School outside Haryana, even where the student holds Haryana domicile.
• Vocational stream at class 12.
• Another scholarship already drawn, which disqualifies the award holder.
• Compartment or failure in a subsequent examination, which ends future consideration.
• Break in regular study, since the incentive is conditional on continuing as a regular student until graduation.
• No fee receipt, which leaves the payable amount undetermined because the award equals the fee actually paid.

Key dates and where to get help

Haryana State Meritorious Incentive Scheme has no permanent calendar date. Applications are called after the CBSE annual results are declared each year, so the effective window follows the CBSE result calendar rather than a fixed government date. Watch the notices section of harchhatravratti.highereduhry.ac.in and ask your school office as soon as results are out.

For help, the routes are the head of your institution first, then the Directorate of Higher Education, Haryana, whose notices and contact details are published on the centralised scholarship portal. No fee is payable to anyone at any stage of this incentive.