Award of Pre-matric Scholarship to the Students Whose Parents Are Engaged in Unclean Occupation

What is this pre-matric scholarship?

Award of Pre-matric Scholarship to the Students Whose Parents Are Engaged in Unclean Occupation is a scholarship run by the Adi Dravidar Welfare and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department, Government of Puducherry, for schoolchildren from a very specific and historically stigmatised group of households, those where a parent works as a scavenger, flayer or tanner.

The scheme pays Rs 1,850 per annum to each eligible student in Classes 1 to 10. The purpose is to keep these children in school through the pre-matric years, when dropout rates are highest and when the family's ability to meet even small education costs; uniforms, notebooks, examination fees, travel: is weakest.

The Adi Dravidar Welfare Department administers the scholarship alongside its general pre-matric scholarship for Scheduled Caste students. The two are related but distinct: the general scholarship turns on caste and income, while this one turns on the parent's occupation.

How much is paid, and to whom?

The scholarship is Rs 1,850 per annum per eligible student. It is credited to the student's bank account; or, for a young child, to a guardian-operated account, rather than paid in cash at the school.

Rs 1,850 is a modest annual amount, and it should be understood as a contribution towards school expenses rather than as a maintenance allowance. Its practical value is highest for families in Classes 1 to 8, where the direct costs of schooling are small enough that Rs 1,850 covers a real share of them.

Who is eligible for the scholarship?

A student can apply if:

• The student belongs to a Scheduled Caste.
• The student is studying in Class 1 to Class 10.
• Either or both parents are engaged in an unclean occupation, scavenger, flayer or tanner.
• The student is a native or resident of the Union Territory of Puducherry.

A student is not eligible if:

• The student has passed Class 10. This is a pre-matric award only; a student in Class 11 or beyond must look to the department's post-matric scholarship instead.
• Neither parent works in one of the listed unclean occupations. A Scheduled Caste student whose parents work in other occupations should apply under the department's general pre-matric scholarship for SC students instead.
• The student does not belong to a Scheduled Caste.
• The student is not a native or resident of Puducherry.
• The student is not currently enrolled in a school, since a bonafide certificate is compulsory.

What documents are required?

The occupation certificate is the paper that decides this application, and it is also the one families most often struggle with. Where the parent is employed by a local body, the employer's certificate settles it; where the work is informal, approach the local body or the competent revenue authority for the certificate.

How to apply for the pre-matric scholarship

1. Ask the school office whether applications have been called for. Schools in Puducherry are the usual collection point for pre-matric scholarships, and the head of the institution forwards the applications to the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department.
2. Obtain the certificate confirming the parent's unclean occupation from the employer, the local body or the competent revenue authority. Start here, because it takes the longest.
3. Collect the other documents, Scheduled Caste certificate, bonafide certificate from the school, student's Aadhaar card, bank passbook and residence proof.
4. Download the application form from adwelfare.py.gov.in. The department publishes the form for the award of pre-matric scholarship to SC students pursuing elementary and secondary education — fill it in, and attach self-attested photocopies.
5. Submit through the school, or apply online at edistrict.py.gov.in by registering as a user, selecting the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department, choosing the pre-matric scholarship service, uploading the documents and submitting.
6. Note the acknowledgement or reference number and keep it for follow-up.

How do I check the status of the scholarship?

1. Ask the school office, which usually receives the sanction list for its own students.
2. Log in to edistrict.py.gov.in with your reference number if you applied online.
3. Check the announcements section of adwelfare.py.gov.in for sanction orders.
4. Once sanctioned, confirm the credit in the student's bank passbook.

Common reasons applications are rejected

• No occupation certificate, or a certificate that does not name scavenging, flaying or tanning. A general statement that the parent does manual work is not enough.
• Caste certificate missing or issued outside Puducherry.
• Student has moved beyond Class 10, in which case the post-matric scholarship applies.
• Bank account details wrong, or an account not in the student's or guardian's name, which causes the credit to fail after sanction.
• Application submitted after the closing date announced by the department.
• Duplicate application where the student has already been sanctioned the general SC pre-matric scholarship for the same year, since the two are not paid together.

Key dates

The scholarship runs on the academic year. The Adi Dravidar Welfare Department issues a notice inviting applications, and the closing date in that notice is firm. Renewal for a continuing student is handled through a fresh application each year with an updated bonafide certificate, so the scholarship does not carry over automatically.

How this differs from the general SC pre-matric scholarship

The Adi Dravidar Welfare Department runs two pre-matric scholarships that are easy to confuse:

A student cannot draw both for the same academic year. If your parent works in one of the listed occupations, apply under this scheme, because it is targeted and the competition for it is smaller. If not, the general scholarship is the right route.

Other Adi Dravidar Welfare support worth checking

A household eligible for this scholarship is often eligible for several other schemes of the same department, and the caste certificate and residence proof you have already assembled will serve for them too:

• Opening and Maintenance of Boys and Girls Hostels: free boarding and lodging, cash in lieu of 2 pairs of clothing, and conveyance for 6 journeys a year, for students studying away from home.
• Financial Assistance to Poor Scheduled Caste People Suffering From Prolonged Diseases: Rs 500 a month where a family member cannot work because of cancer, heart disease or asthma.
• Grant of house construction subsidy to Scheduled Caste people.
• Distribution of free house sites.
• Supply of dhotis and sarees to Scheduled Caste people.
• Post-matric scholarships for students who continue past Class 10.
• Financial assistance for construction of sanitary latrines, and assistance for poor pregnant and lactating women.

Help and grievance redressal

• Adi Dravidar Welfare and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department, Government of Puducherry, adwelfare.py.gov.in
• Scheme listing, adwelfare.py.gov.in/programmes-schemes
• Application form, adwelfare.py.gov.in/application-form-award-pre-matric-scholarship-sc-students-who-are-pursuing-elemntary-and-secondary
• Online applications, edistrict.py.gov.in
• Government of Puducherry announcements; py.gov.in

Applying is free. Neither the school nor any agent may charge a fee for forwarding a scholarship application.