Dr. Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatravriti Yojna, Himachal Pradesh

What is the Dr. Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatravriti Yojna?

Dr. Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatravriti Yojna is a state-sponsored merit scholarship of the Government of Himachal Pradesh, run by the Department of Education through the Directorate of Higher Education, Shimla. The scheme, sometimes written as Dr. Ambedkar Medhavi Chatravriti Yojana, recognises the highest scoring Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Class students in the state's class 10 examination and pays them a cash scholarship for the next two years of schooling.

According to the Directorate of Higher Education's state-sponsored schemes page, the award goes to the top 1,250 meritorious students of the Scheduled Caste category and the top 1,000 meritorious students of the Other Backward Classes, selected on the results of the matriculation examination conducted by the H.P. Board of School Education. The rate is Rs 18,000 per year, revised upward with effect from 2022-23, and it is payable for class 10+1 and class 10+2.

The design is deliberately simple. There is no separate competitive examination, no interview and no income test. The Board's own merit list is the selection list, which means a Scheduled Caste student who scores well in matric is identified automatically and only has to file a claim.

Main features

• 100 per cent state funded, with no central contribution.
• 2,250 awards a year in total, 1,250 for SC and 1,000 for OBC students.
• Rs 18,000 per year, paid by direct benefit transfer to the student's account.
• Two years of support, class 10+1 followed by class 10+2.
• Renewal in the second year depends on satisfactory 10+1 internal results.

Who is eligible for the Dr. Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatravriti Yojna?

You are eligible if:

• You are a bonafide resident of Himachal Pradesh.
• You belong to the Scheduled Caste or Other Backward Classes, with a caste certificate from an officer of Tehsildar rank or above.
• You passed the matriculation examination of HPBOSE, Dharamshala.
• Your name falls within the top 1,250 SC or top 1,000 OBC positions on the merit list for that session.
• You have joined class 10+1 in a recognised institution and are studying as a regular student.
• You hold a savings bank account in your own name for direct benefit transfer.

You are not eligible if:

• You belong to the General category or the Scheduled Tribes. Those students cannot apply under this scheme and must use Swami Vivekanand Utkrisht Chhatravriti Yojna or Thakur Sen Negi Utkrisht Chhatravriti Yojna respectively.
• You passed class 10 from a board other than HPBOSE, since the merit list used is the HP Board's own.
• Your rank falls outside the sanctioned 1,250 or 1,000 places for the year.
• You are not a bonafide Himachali.
• You have discontinued study, since the scholarship is payable only while you are enrolled.
• You failed or were not promoted in the 10+1 internal examination, which stops the 10+2 renewal.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Dr. Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatravriti Yojna

1. Wait for the merit list. After the HPBOSE class 10 result, the Directorate of Higher Education prepares and publishes the SC and OBC merit lists for this scheme on education.hp.gov.in.
2. Register on the HP ePASS portal at hpepass.cgg.gov.in using your Aadhaar number and a mobile number you actually use, since the OTP goes there.
3. Select the scheme "Dr. Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatravriti Yojna" from the list of state-sponsored schemes.
4. Fill the form with your HPBOSE roll number, class 10 marks, category, present institution and course, and bank account details, then upload scans of the caste certificate, bonafide certificate, marksheet, Aadhaar, passbook and photograph.
5. Submit online and take a printout of the completed application carrying the system-generated application number.
6. Deposit the hard copy with self-attested document copies at the office of your school or college. The head of the institution verifies and forwards the case to the District Higher Education office.
7. Collect the credit. After district verification and sanction by the Directorate, Rs 18,000 is released into the bank account entered in the form.

How to apply without internet access at home

1. Ask the scholarship in-charge at your school or college to file the form on the institutional ePASS login.
2. Or use a Lok Mitra Kendra or common service centre to complete the online application, then carry the printout back to the institution.
3. Keep the printed acknowledgement safe. It carries the application number you will need for every status query and grievance.

How do I check my application and payment status?

Log in to the student account on hpepass.cgg.gov.in and open the application status page. The portal shows where the case stands, pending with the institution, verified at the district, sanctioned, or released for payment. A case stuck at the institution stage nearly always means the printed hard copy has not reached the office. For sanction or release delays, contact the Directorate of Higher Education, Shimla on 0177-2656621 or dhe-sml-hp@gov.in, Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.

Why applications get rejected

• Caste certificate defects, an expired certificate, one issued by a Patwari or other junior officer, or a category that does not match the merit list under which the student claims.
• Roll number or name mismatch with the HPBOSE record, which breaks the automatic merit match.
• Hard copy not submitted after the online filing.
• Bank account errors, an account in a parent's name, a closed account or a wrong IFSC, which causes the DBT to bounce after sanction.
• Failure in the 10+1 internal examination, which disqualifies the renewal.
• Duplicate claim where the student is simultaneously drawing a central post-matric scholarship for the same year.

Key dates in the scholarship year

Dr. Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatravriti Yojna follows the HPBOSE calendar. The class 10 result is announced in the spring, the merit lists follow, and the ePASS claim window for the session is notified by the Directorate later in the year. No permanent statewide last date is published in advance, so students should watch the notices page of education.hp.gov.in from the day the matric result is declared. Renewal claims for 10+2 are filed in the next session once the 10+1 internal result is out.

Where to complain

The grievance route runs upward through the same chain that handles the application: the head of the institution first, then the District Higher Education office, then the Directorate of Higher Education, Shimla on 0177-2656621 or dhe-sml-hp@gov.in. Portal faults such as failed logins or upload errors go to the ePASS helpdesk contact published on hpepass.cgg.gov.in.

Filing this scholarship costs nothing. No institution, official or agent may charge a Scheduled Caste or Other Backward Class student a fee for forwarding or sanctioning a Himachal Pradesh state scholarship.