Assistance to Students of Nomadic and De-notified Tribes Studying in Self Finance Institutes

What is the NT/DNT self-finance college scholarship in Gujarat?

Assistance to Students of Nomadic and De-notified Tribes Studying in Self Finance Institutes is a scholarship of the Directorate of Developing Castes Welfare, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Government of Gujarat. In Gujarati the scheme is listed as "સેલ્ફ ફાઈનાન્સ કોલેજમાં અભ્યાસ કરતા વિચરતી-વિમુક્ત જાતિના વિદ્યાર્થીઓને સહાય", the assistance to Vicharati and Vimukta Jati students studying in self-finance colleges.

The scheme exists because self-finance colleges charge fees that government and grant-in-aid colleges do not. A student from a nomadic or de-notified tribe who wins a seat in such a college often has the merit but not the money to hold the seat. The directorate meets that gap by reimbursing the registration fee and examination fee charged by the self-finance institute.

Benefit: self-finance college registration fees and examination fees together, up to a maximum of Rs 50,000, or the actual expenditure within the approved assistance, whichever is lower.

Scale matters here. The directorate's published record for the scheme shows a provision of Rs 1,000 lakh, a grant allotted and expenditure incurred of Rs 1,433.24 lakh, and 4,198 NT/DNT beneficiaries in the reported year. The scheme therefore spends more than its opening budget line and reaches several thousand students, which is unusually large for a community-specific scholarship.

Who is eligible for this scholarship?

You can claim the assistance if:

• You belong to a Nomadic Tribe or De-notified Tribe listed for Gujarat, with a caste certificate from a competent authority.
• Your family's annual income does not exceed Rs 2,00,000.
• You are studying in a self-finance institute.
• Your institute is certified by the government.

You are not eligible if:

• You belong to a community other than a Nomadic or De-notified Tribe of Gujarat. Students of the socially and educationally backward classes, economically backward classes and minority communities have separate post-SSC scholarship schemes run by the same directorate.
• Your family income is above Rs 2,00,000 a year.
• Your institute is a self-finance institute that is not certified by the government.
• You are studying in a government or grant-in-aid college, where fees are already low and other post-SSC scholarships of the directorate apply instead.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the NT/DNT self-finance college scholarship

1. Confirm first that your institute is certified by the government and that your family income certificate shows Rs 2,00,000 or less. These two conditions decide the claim before anything else.
2. Obtain a fresh caste certificate and income certificate from the mamlatdar or other competent authority for the current year, and collect the registration and examination fee receipts from your college.
3. Apply online through the Gujarat government scholarship portal operated by Digital Gujarat, where the Directorate of Developing Castes Welfare publishes its post-SSC scholarship schemes under Scholarship Services. Register as a citizen, complete your profile and select the scheme for the current academic year.
4. Upload the caste certificate, income certificate, fee receipts, admission proof, previous year's marksheet, Aadhaar card and bank passbook copy, then submit the application.
5. Have the institute verify your admission and fee details. The claim is settled only after institutional verification, so follow up with your college scholarship clerk rather than waiting silently.
6. Track the application on the portal, and check that the assistance is credited to the bank account in your own name.

Students who cannot complete the online form should approach the Assistant Director, Developing Castes Welfare in the district or their college office, which handles the directorate's scholarship work at the district level.

How is the money paid?

The assistance is paid as a reimbursement, capped at Rs 50,000 a year, and limited to the actual registration and examination fees within the approved assistance. It is not paid as an open maintenance allowance, and it does not cover hostel charges, books or other costs. Payment goes to the student's own bank account after institutional verification.

Common reasons claims fail

• Income certificate above Rs 2,00,000 or an expired certificate. Income certificates have a limited validity, so take a fresh one for each academic year.
• Caste certificate showing a category other than NT/DNT. A socially and educationally backward class certificate does not qualify for this particular scheme, though it may qualify for another scheme of the same directorate.
• Institute not certified by the government.
• Fee receipts not uploaded, or receipts that do not separate registration and examination fees from other charges.
• Bank account not in the student's own name, or details entered wrongly.
• Institute verification pending, which leaves the application stuck without a rejection.

Related schemes of the same directorate

The Directorate of Developing Castes Welfare runs a large set of educational schemes that NT/DNT students often use alongside this one, including Pre-SSC Scholarship for Nomadic and De-notified Tribes, post-SSC scholarships for girls and boys, the Talent Pool scheme for Nomadic and De-notified Tribe students, scholarships for technical and professional courses, government and grant-in-aid hostels, Adarsh Nivasi Shalas and coaching assistance for NEET, JEE and GUJCET. A student may hold only one scholarship of the same nature at a time, so check which one gives the larger benefit before applying.

Help and grievance redressal

• Director, Developing Castes Welfare, Block No. 4, 3rd Floor, Dr Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Phone: +91 79 23253245.
• District offices: Assistant Director, Developing Castes Welfare, in each district.
• e-Samaj Kalyan portal at esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in carries the directorate's notifications, hostel admission rounds and scheme guidelines, and publishes the yearly advertisements.

Applying is free. No fee is payable to any agent for filing a scholarship application, and the directorate publishes its scheme rates and resolutions on its own website.