Financial Assistance for Education to the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers (Pre & Post-Matric)

What is this education financial-assistance scheme?

This scheme awards education scholarships to the children (wards) of workers in four specific sectors covered by the Ministry of Labour and Employment's welfare funds:

• Beedi workers,
• Cine (film industry) workers,
• IOMC workers. Those in iron ore, manganese ore and chrome ore mines, and
• LSDM workers. Those in limestone and dolomite mines.

According to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, these welfare funds are administered by the Directorate General Labour Welfare (DGLW), also called the Labour Welfare Organisation (LWO), through a network of Welfare Commissioner offices in the relevant mining and beedi/cine regions. The education-assistance scheme is one of several welfare benefits, alongside health and housing support, funded from these welfare funds.

The purpose is simple: to reduce the education cost burden on low-income worker families and keep their children in school and college. Assistance is given at both the pre-matric stage (up to Class X) and the post-matric stage (Class XI onward, including degree, technical and professional courses).

How much assistance does the scheme give?

The scholarship is paid at rates fixed by the Ministry of Labour and Employment for each welfare fund, and the rate depends on the class or course the student is enrolled in. A pre-matric primary-school rate is lower than a post-matric degree or professional-course rate. These rates are revised periodically.

Because the exact figures are notified administratively and change over time, this guide deliberately does not quote a fixed rupee amount. A worker should confirm the current scholarship rate for the relevant class/course with the regional Welfare Commissioner office before applying. Payment is made to the bank account of the student or worker, generally by Direct Benefit Transfer.

Who is eligible for the education assistance?

You can apply if:

• You are a registered worker in the beedi, cine, IOMC or LSDM sector, covered by the corresponding welfare fund, and
• The applicant is your child (ward), currently enrolled in a recognised school or college in a qualifying class or course.

You cannot apply if:

• The worker parent is not covered by the beedi, cine, IOMC or LSDM welfare funds — workers in other industries are not eligible under this particular scheme.
• The student is not currently enrolled in a recognised institution, or has not passed the preceding class where that condition applies.
• The claim is for a course or class outside the scope the welfare fund supports.

Because the four funds are administered separately, the precise conditions; income limits, number of children supported, and course coverage; can differ slightly between them. The regional Welfare Commissioner office is the authority on the conditions that apply to your fund.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the education scholarship

1. Identify your Welfare Commissioner office. The regional office of the Labour Welfare Organisation (DGLW) that covers your area and your sector (beedi, cine, IOMC or LSDM).
2. Obtain the education-assistance application form for the relevant welfare fund from that office, or from its online application facility where available.
3. Fill in the form and attach the worker's identity card, proof of employment, the student's admission/bonafide certificate, the previous mark sheet (if required), Aadhaar and bank details.
4. Submit the application to the Welfare Commissioner office (or upload it on the office's online portal) within the period it notifies for the academic year.
5. Track the claim with the same office; on approval, the scholarship is paid to the nominated bank account.

Where to get help

Because the scheme is delivered through regional Welfare Commissioner offices of the Directorate General Labour Welfare, that office is the right point of contact for the application form, current scholarship rates, deadlines and the status of a pending claim. The Ministry of Labour and Employment publishes information about the Labour Welfare Organisation and its welfare funds on its official portal at labour.gov.in. There is no fee to apply, and no agent can charge to "get a scholarship sanctioned", the benefit is paid directly to the beneficiary's account.