Kalpana Chawla Chhatravriti Yojna, Himachal Pradesh

What is the Kalpana Chawla Chhatravriti Yojna?

Kalpana Chawla Chhatravriti Yojna is a state-sponsored merit scholarship of the Government of Himachal Pradesh for girl students, run by the Department of Education through the Directorate of Higher Education, Shimla. Named after the astronaut Kalpana Chawla and often written as Kalpana Chawla Chatravriti Yojana, the scheme is aimed squarely at the transition point where girls in the hill districts most often drop out, the move from plus-two into a degree, diploma or professional course.

According to the Directorate of Higher Education's state-sponsored schemes page, the scholarship goes to the top 2,000 meritorious girl students identified from the merit list supplied by HPBOSE, Dharamshala for post plus two, drawn across the Science, Arts and Commerce streams. The award is Rs 18,000 per year, revised to that level from the 2022-23 session.

What makes this scheme unusually valuable compared with the state's other merit scholarships is its duration. Most HP merit awards run for two years. Kalpana Chawla Chhatravriti Yojna is renewed till the completion of the degree, diploma or certificate course, subject to the student not failing in any year. For a three-year degree that is Rs 54,000 in total; for a four-year professional course it is Rs 72,000.

Main features

• Fully funded by the Government of Himachal Pradesh.
• 2,000 awards a year, girl students only.
• Selection from the HPBOSE plus-two merit list, all three streams.
• Rs 18,000 a year, paid by direct benefit transfer.
• Renewable for the full length of the course, ceasing on any failure.

Who is eligible for the Kalpana Chawla Chhatravriti Yojna?

You are eligible if:

• You are a girl student and a bonafide resident of Himachal Pradesh.
• You passed the plus-two (class 12) examination of HPBOSE, Dharamshala in the Science, Arts or Commerce stream.
• Your name falls within the top 2,000 girl students on the HPBOSE merit list for that session.
• You have taken admission as a regular student in a degree, diploma or certificate course at a recognised institution.
• You hold a savings bank account in your own name for direct benefit transfer.

You are not eligible if:

• You are male. Boys cannot apply under this scheme.
• You passed class 12 from CBSE, ICSE or any board other than HPBOSE, because selection uses the HP Board's merit list.
• Your rank falls outside the top 2,000 girl students for the year.
• You are not a bonafide resident of Himachal Pradesh.
• You are not enrolled in a course, since the scholarship is payable only while studying.
• You have failed in any year of the course, which permanently ends the award.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Kalpana Chawla Chhatravriti Yojna

1. Check the merit list. After the HPBOSE plus-two result, the Directorate of Higher Education draws up the girls' merit list for this scheme and publishes it on education.hp.gov.in.
2. Take admission first. The claim requires a bonafide student certificate, so join your degree, diploma or certificate course before filing.
3. Register on the HP ePASS portal at hpepass.cgg.gov.in using your Aadhaar number and an active mobile number for OTP verification.
4. Fill the application under the state-sponsored scheme "Kalpana Chawla Chhatravriti Yojna", entering your HPBOSE roll number, plus-two marks, stream, present course and institution, and bank details.
5. Upload the documents, marksheet, bonafide certificate, Aadhaar, passbook and photograph — and submit the form online.
6. Print the submitted form with its application number, attach self-attested copies of the documents, and hand it to the head of your institution.
7. Institutional forwarding. The college verifies and forwards the case to the District Higher Education office, which sends it on to the Directorate for sanction and release.
8. Renew every year. File a fresh renewal claim each session with the previous year's pass result and a current bonafide certificate.

How to apply without a personal internet connection

1. Ask the scholarship in-charge at your college to open the form on the institutional ePASS login and file it with you present.
2. Alternatively use a Lok Mitra Kendra or common service centre, then take the printout back to the college office.
3. Keep the acknowledgement. The application number on it is what you will quote in every follow-up.

How do I check the status of the scholarship?

Sign in to the student account on hpepass.cgg.gov.in and open the application status screen, which shows whether the case is pending at the institution, verified by the District Higher Education office, sanctioned, or released. Once released, the credit appears in the bank account recorded in the form. For delays in sanction or payment, contact the Directorate of Higher Education, Shimla on 0177-2656621 or dhe-sml-hp@gov.in, Monday to Saturday between 10 am and 5 pm.

Why claims get rejected or stopped

• Hard copy never submitted after the online filing, which leaves the case parked at the institution stage.
• Roll number or name mismatch with the HPBOSE plus-two record, breaking the automatic merit match.
• Bank account in a parent's name or a wrong IFSC, so the DBT bounces even after sanction.
• Bonafide student certificate missing, particularly at renewal, when colleges issue them late.
• A failure in any year of the course, which ends the scholarship outright under the Directorate's own condition.
• Renewal claim not filed in a session, which breaks continuity and often cannot be regularised later.

Key dates in the scholarship year

Kalpana Chawla Chhatravriti Yojna runs on the HPBOSE calendar. The plus-two result is declared in the spring, the girls' merit list follows, and the ePASS window for fresh and renewal claims is notified by the Directorate for that session. No permanent last date is published in advance, so watch the notices section of education.hp.gov.in and the ePASS portal from the day the plus-two result appears, and again at the start of each new academic year for renewal.

How this scheme compares with the other HP scholarships

Kalpana Chawla Chhatravriti Yojna is the only one of Himachal Pradesh's state-sponsored merit scholarships that is keyed to the plus-two result and reserved for girls, and it is by some distance the longest-running award. The comparable post-plus-two scheme, Indira Gandhi Utkrisht Chhatravriti Yojna, is open to meritorious students generally but carries only 150 places against this scheme's 2,000, both at Rs 18,000 a year. Students who reach the same stage through a technical route are instead covered by the Department of Technical Education's own stipend, and students from IRDP or Antodaya families draw the income-linked Mukhya Mantri Vidyarthi Kalyan Yojna, worth Rs 1,500 to Rs 6,000 a year. A girl who qualifies here should compare the awards she is offered, because two scholarships cannot be drawn for the same course and year, and at Rs 18,000 annually for the full length of the course this is usually the larger one.

Where to complain

Raise the first grievance with the head of your college, then with the District Higher Education office of your district, and then with the Directorate of Higher Education, Shimla on 0177-2656621 or dhe-sml-hp@gov.in. Portal problems such as login failures or upload errors go to the ePASS helpdesk contact published on hpepass.cgg.gov.in.

There is no fee at any stage. No college, official or private agent may charge a girl student for filing, forwarding or sanctioning this scholarship.