SUDAKSHYA Scheme for Girl Students

What is the SUDAKSHYA scheme?

SUDAKSHYA is a scheme of the Skill Development & Technical Education Department, Government of Odisha, implemented by the Directorate of Technical Education & Training (DTE&T), Odisha, Cuttack. It is often listed on scholarship sites as "Sudakshya scholarship for girl child", but it is broader than a scholarship: it combines fee exemption, a monthly maintenance allowance and post-training support for girls in technical and vocational training.

The department started SUDAKSHYA; spelt "Sudakhsya" in the original file: as a pilot scheme for two years, 2017-18 and 2018-19, under Resolution No. 5682 dated 23 November 2017. The stated aim was to raise girls' enrolment in Government ITIs from the existing 7% to 30%. The pilot was extended for a further two years covering 2019-20 and 2020-21, and then, by Resolution No. 4750/SDTE dated 29 October 2021, Government decided to continue SUDAKSHYA as a regular scheme, to be reviewed every five years.

The 2021 resolution sets out three components:

• Mobilisation of girl students for admission into Government ITIs.
• Financial support as a maintenance allowance while the trainee is pursuing training.
• One-time financial support for post-ITI placement or apprenticeship training.

By letter No. 4394/SDTE dated 19 June 2023, the department extended SUDAKSHYA to Government polytechnics and engineering schools for girls pursuing diploma education, directing that the SOP followed for Government ITIs be applied there too.

How much does SUDAKSHYA pay?

During training, under the 2021 resolution:

These amounts are reimbursed or paid by the Government.

After training, for post-ITI placement or apprenticeship:

For Government polytechnics, under the June 2023 order:

• Day scholars, the admission fee is exempted, covering tuition fee, development fee, culture fee, magazine fee, athletic fee, HSC mark verification fee, internal examination fee, registration fee, maintenance fee and welfare fund contribution fee. Caution money still has to be deposited as usual. General-category day scholars receive Rs 500 per month based on their attendance record; ST and SC day scholars receive the differential amount, set in the order at Rs 500 minus Rs 270 = Rs 230 per month at present.
• Hostellers. The same admission fees are exempted, again excluding caution money. General-category girl hostellers receive Rs 1,500 per month based on attendance; ST and SC hostellers receive the differential, Rs 1,500 minus Rs 1,000 = Rs 500 per month at present.

The differential logic is the point most often misunderstood. ST and SC trainees already draw a Post-Matric Scholarship, and SUDAKSHYA tops that up to the SUDAKSHYA rate rather than paying on top of it. The order says these differential figures are subject to revision from time to time.

Who is eligible for SUDAKSHYA?

A student can claim SUDAKSHYA if:

• She is a girl student — the scheme exists specifically to raise female enrolment in technical training.
• She has taken admission to a Government ITI in Odisha, or, since the June 2023 extension, to a Government polytechnic or engineering school for a diploma course.
• She is enrolled as either a hosteller or a day scholar, each of which has its own rate.
• She maintains attendance, since the maintenance allowance under the polytechnic order is paid on the attendance record maintained by the institution.

A student cannot claim SUDAKSHYA if:

• The applicant is male. There is no male equivalent under this scheme.
• She is enrolled in a private ITI, private ITC or private polytechnic. The resolutions cover Government ITIs and Government polytechnics/engineering schools.
• She is not in an ITI trade or a diploma course covered by DTE&T, Odisha.
• She is claiming caution money back as part of the exemption, the order expressly keeps caution money outside the exempted fees.

The resolutions read together do not set a parental income ceiling for SUDAKSHYA, and none is stated in the 2021 resolution or the 2023 polytechnic order. Where a trainee already receives another scholarship for the same purpose, the differential principle described above applies.

What documents are required for SUDAKSHYA?

How to apply for SUDAKSHYA

1. Take admission to a Government ITI, or to a Government polytechnic or engineering school, in Odisha, and decide whether you will stay in the hostel or attend as a day scholar, the rate follows from that.
2. Register on the Odisha State Scholarship Portal at scholarship.odisha.gov.in with your Aadhaar number and the mobile number linked to that Aadhaar, and collect the user ID and password sent by SMS. SUDAKSHYA was implemented on the State Scholarship Portal from November 2021.
3. Log in, select SUDAKSHYA and fill in your personal, academic, institutional and bank details, then upload the residence certificate, caste certificate if applicable, admission proof, mark sheet and bank passbook page.
4. Submit the form and keep the acknowledgement.
5. Report to the Principal's office of your ITI or polytechnic, which verifies the claim. For polytechnics, the Principal claims the prescribed fees and charges from DTE&T under the scheme, so the fee side is settled between the institution and the directorate rather than by the student.
6. Maintain attendance, since the monthly allowance is released against the attendance record kept by the institution.

There is no direct offline application to the department. A girl student who cannot use the portal should approach the Principal's office of her institution, which handles SUDAKSHYA claims.

How the scheme is administered

The implementing authority is DTE&T, Odisha, Cuttack, which is required by the 2021 resolution to review the scheme every year and report compliance to Government, so that the 30% girls' enrolment target is met. The resolution itself was cleared with the concurrence of the Finance Department and the Planning & Convergence Department, and the scheme's continuance is reviewed every five years.

For polytechnics, the Principal of the concerned Government polytechnic claims the development fee, culture fee, magazine fee, athletic fee, HSC mark verification fee, internal examination fee, registration fee, maintenance fee and welfare fund contribution fee from DTE&T under the scheme, for utilisation under those specific heads.

Common reasons a SUDAKSHYA claim stalls

• Attendance shortfall recorded by the institution, which directly reduces the monthly maintenance allowance.
• Institution is private, so the claim falls outside the Government ITI and Government polytechnic scope of the resolutions.
• ST/SC trainee expecting the full rate rather than the differential over the Post-Matric Scholarship.
• Bank account not in the trainee's own name or not Aadhaar-seeded, so the DBT credit fails.
• Caution money claimed as part of the fee exemption, which the order does not allow.
• Principal has not verified the application on the portal.

Help and grievance redressal

• Directorate of Technical Education & Training, Odisha, Killa Maidan, Buxi Bazar, Cuttack 753001
• Phone: 0671-2301061
• Email: dtetorissa@gmail.com
• Scheme page with the original resolutions: dtet.odisha.gov.in/en/sudakshya
• First stop for a payment or attendance dispute: the Principal of your Government ITI or polytechnic

Claiming SUDAKSHYA is free. The fee exemption is applied at the institution and the allowance is paid directly to the trainee's bank account, so no intermediary should be paid to "process" a claim.