Pre-Matric Scholarships to the Children of Those Engaged in Occupations Involving Cleaning and Prone to Health Hazards

What is the Pre-Matric Scholarship for children in hazardous cleaning occupations?

The Pre-Matric Scholarships to the Children of Those Engaged in Occupations Involving Cleaning and Prone to Health Hazards is a Central Sector scheme of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. According to the Department, the scheme has been running since 1977-78 to help the children of sanitation and cleaning workers stay in school through the pre-matric stage, from Class 1 to Class 10.

The scheme is unusual in that it is not caste-based; eligibility depends on the parent's or guardian's occupation, not the family's community. It covers the children of manual scavengers, tanners, flayers, waste-pickers and other persons engaged in hazardous cleaning, so that the burden of these dangerous, low-income occupations is not passed on to the next generation through school dropout.

Financial support is modest but targeted. Day scholars in Classes 1 to 10 receive Rs 110 per month for ten months plus an ad-hoc grant of Rs 750 per annum. Hostellers in Classes 3 to 10 receive Rs 700 per month for ten months plus an ad-hoc grant of Rs 1,000 per annum. Additional allowances apply for disabled students, a reader allowance of Rs 100 per month for blind students in Classes 3 to 10, and a transport allowance of Rs 50 per month for disabled students not living in a hostel.

Key features

• Occupation-based, not caste-based; open irrespective of caste or religion.
• Covers Classes 1 to 10 (hosteller rate from Class 3).
• Day scholar: Rs 110/month for 10 months + Rs 750 ad-hoc grant.
• Hosteller: Rs 700/month for 10 months + Rs 1,000 ad-hoc grant.
• Extra reader and transport allowances for eligible disabled students.

Who is eligible for this Pre-Matric Scholarship?

You can apply if:

• The child is studying full-time in Class 1 to 10 (the hosteller benefit applies from Class 3).
• The parent or guardian is engaged in a covered occupation, a manual scavenger as defined under Section 2(1)(g) of the Manual Scavengers Act 2013, a tanner, a flayer, a waste-picker, or a person engaged in hazardous cleaning as defined under Section 2(1)(d) of the same Act.
• You can obtain an occupation certificate from the District Social Welfare Officer or another authority designated by the State Government.

Eligibility is irrespective of caste or religion. Adopted children qualify after three years of residence with adoptive parents engaged in these occupations.

You cannot apply if:

• The child is not in Classes 1 to 10 — the scheme is pre-matric only, so college and post-matric students are not eligible here.
• No parent or guardian works in one of the covered hazardous cleaning occupations, or you cannot obtain the required occupation certificate.
• The student is not enrolled full-time in a recognised school.

What documents are required for this Pre-Matric Scholarship?

How to apply for this Pre-Matric Scholarship

1. Obtain the occupation certificate for the parent or guardian from the District Social Welfare Officer, local body, civic agency or the authority designated by your State Government.
2. Register the student on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in during the open application window, using an Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
3. Select the pre-matric scholarship for children in hazardous cleaning occupations and fill in the student's school, class and family details.
4. Upload the documents: occupation certificate, enrolment proof, Aadhaar and Aadhaar-seeded bank passbook, and the adoption certificate if applicable.
5. Submit the application and note the application ID. The school and the State nodal authority verify the claim, after which the scholarship is paid by Direct Benefit Transfer.

Some States and Union Territories route this scholarship through their own social welfare departments in addition to, or instead of, the National Scholarship Portal, so confirm the exact channel with your school or District Social Welfare Officer before applying.

How much benefit does this Pre-Matric Scholarship provide?

The core benefit is a monthly scholarship for ten months a year, Rs 110 for day scholars in Classes 1 to 10, and Rs 700 for hostellers in Classes 3 to 10, plus an annual ad-hoc grant of Rs 750 for day scholars and Rs 1,000 for hostellers. Over a full academic year, a hosteller therefore receives Rs 7,000 in monthly scholarship plus the Rs 1,000 grant, while a day scholar receives Rs 1,100 plus the Rs 750 grant.

Disabled students receive additional support: a reader allowance of Rs 100 per month for blind students in Classes 3 to 10, and a transport allowance of Rs 50 per month for disabled students who do not live in a hostel. All amounts are paid by Direct Benefit Transfer into an Aadhaar-seeded bank account.

Help and where to check details

For technical problems with the online application, the National Scholarship Portal helpdesk can be reached at 0120-6619540 or through scholarships.gov.in. Scheme details, covered occupations and current rates are published by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment on socialjustice.gov.in. There is no fee to apply, and no agent can secure the scholarship on your behalf: everything runs through the official portal and your school or District Social Welfare Officer.