Saksham Scholarship Scheme (Uttarakhand)

What is the Saksham Scholarship Scheme?

Saksham Scholarship is a scheme for differently-abled students pursuing technical education, implemented in Uttarakhand by the Directorate of Technical Education. It originates from the national Saksham scholarship framework run by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under the Ministry of Education, and the Uttarakhand directorate administers it for students studying in the state's polytechnics and technical colleges.

According to the Directorate of Technical Education Uttarakhand, the scheme provides Rs 50,000 per year to selected students with disabilities so that a lack of money does not interrupt their diploma or degree studies. The Press Information Bureau describes the parent scheme as one for "economically weaker differently abled students to pursue technical education", which captures both tests the scheme applies. A disability threshold and a family-income ceiling.

The scheme has a simple aim: to remove the financial barriers that keep differently-abled students out of engineering diplomas and degrees. The money is meant to cover tuition and related education expenses, and it is paid directly to the student rather than routed through the institution's fee account.

Who is eligible for the Saksham Scholarship in Uttarakhand?

You can apply if:

• You are a differently-abled student with at least 40 percent disability, certified by a competent medical authority.
• You are enrolled in the first year of an AICTE-approved diploma or degree course, or the second year through lateral entry.
• Your family's annual income from all sources is under Rs 8,00,000.
• You are studying at a polytechnic or technical institution recognised for the scheme in Uttarakhand.

You cannot apply if:

• Your certified disability is below 40 percent.
• Your family income exceeds Rs 8,00,000 a year.
• You are not enrolled in an AICTE-approved technical course, this is a technical-education scholarship, so students in non-technical streams are not eligible.
• You are already drawing another scholarship that the scheme rules bar from being combined with Saksham.

Both tests must be met together: the disability certificate proves the 40 percent threshold, and the income certificate proves the Rs 8,00,000 ceiling. Missing either document means the claim cannot be processed.

How much does the Saksham Scholarship pay?

The scheme pays Rs 50,000 per year to each selected student. According to the AICTE framework the Directorate of Technical Education Uttarakhand implements, the grant can be used for tuition fees, books, a laptop, educational software, stationery and other academic expenses. It is not restricted to tuition alone. The scholarship continues for the full duration of the course, one to three or four years depending on the diploma or degree, as long as the student keeps meeting the eligibility conditions and the institution re-verifies enrolment each year. The money is released to the student's own Aadhaar-linked bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer, which is why an Aadhaar-seeded account is essential.

A student who joins in the first year of a diploma or degree, or in the second year through lateral entry, is covered for the remaining years of that programme. The scholarship is a fixed Rs 50,000 a year, it is not scaled up or down with the actual fee, so a student whose fees are lower keeps the balance for books, devices and living costs tied to studying.

How to apply for the Saksham Scholarship

1. Get your disability certificate (40 percent or more) and family income certificate ready, along with your marksheets and admission proof.
2. Register on the National Scholarship Portal (scholarships.gov.in) with a fresh registration for the academic year, which generates an application ID.
3. Log in and open the AICTE Saksham Scholarship application, then fill in your course, institution, category and bank details.
4. Upload the disability certificate, income certificate, academic marksheets and admission/bonafide proof in the sizes the portal specifies.
5. Submit the application so your institution's nodal officer or principal verifies and forwards it — an unverified application does not move to approval.
6. AICTE processes the verified applications, and the Rs 50,000 is released to your Aadhaar-linked bank account through DBT.
7. Keep your application ID and check the portal periodically; renew the application every academic year so the scholarship continues for the next year of the course.

The institution's verification is essential. The principal or the technical institution's scholarship cell confirms your enrolment and forwards the claim; an unverified application does not proceed to approval.

What counts as a valid disability certificate?

The disability certificate is the single document that decides eligibility, so it is worth getting right. It must certify at least 40 percent disability and be issued by a competent medical authority; typically a district-level medical board at a government hospital. Many applicants now use the Unique Disability ID (UDID) card issued under the national UDID project, which is increasingly accepted and, in some years, required on the portal. If your certificate is old, expired, or states a percentage below 40, get a fresh one before you apply, because the verifying institution and AICTE will reject a claim on a defective certificate.

The AICTE-approved course condition is the other common stumbling block. Saksham covers diploma and degree programmes at AICTE-approved institutions: engineering, technology, management, pharmacy, architecture, applied arts and hotel management courses in that framework. A general degree that is not in the AICTE list does not qualify, so confirm your institution's AICTE approval before applying rather than after a rejection.

How do I check my Saksham Scholarship status?

Log back into the portal you applied on with your registered credentials. The status screen shows whether your institution has verified the application, whether it has been approved, and whether the Rs 50,000 has been disbursed. If the status sits at "pending verification" for a long time, contact your institution's scholarship cell, verification happens at the college, not centrally.

Why do Saksham applications get rejected?

• Disability below 40 percent on the certificate, or an expired/invalid certificate.
• Family income above Rs 8,00,000, or an income certificate that does not match the declared amount.
• Course not AICTE-approved, placing the applicant outside the scheme.
• Institution verification pending, which stalls the claim.
• Bank account not linked to Aadhaar, so the payment cannot credit.
• Duplicate or incomplete documents, such as a missing admission proof.

Most rejections are document problems. Re-issue the correct certificate, seed your bank account with Aadhaar, and ask the institution to complete verification before the year's window closes.

Key dates and grievance help

The AICTE Saksham application window runs on the National Scholarship Portal calendar. For the 2026-27 cycle the student application last date was published as 31 October 2026, with institution verification following after the student deadline. Because these dates shift slightly each year, treat the National Scholarship Portal and the DTE Uttarakhand scheme page as the authority rather than any secondary date, and apply well before the cut-off. A common failure is finishing the student form on the last day and leaving no time for the institution to verify it.

Also note the renewal rhythm: Saksham is not a one-time award. A continuing student must submit a renewal application each academic year within the portal's renewal window, or the next year's Rs 50,000 will not be released even though the first year was approved.

For help, use the contact links on dte.uk.gov.in, or approach your technical institution's scholarship cell, which handles verification and is the quickest route to fix a stuck application. A dispute the institution cannot resolve should be escalated to the Directorate of Technical Education, Uttarakhand. The scholarship is free to apply for; no agent can charge a fee to add your name to the beneficiary list.