Free Computer Training (Uttarakhand)

What is the Free Computer Training scheme in Uttarakhand?

Free Computer Training in Uttarakhand is not a standalone yojana with its own budget line. It is the capacity building and skill enhancement training component of Jeevika Avsar Protsahan Yojana, a Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe scheme that the Uttarakhand government has run since the 2004-05 financial year through the Uttarakhand Bahuuddeshiya Vitt Evam Vikas Nigam Limited (UKBVVN). Readers searching in Hindi will find the same programme written as Jeevika Avsar Protsahan Yojana or as nishulk computer prashikshan.

According to the corporation's own scheme page, Jeevika Avsar Protsahan Yojana has three components:

1. Information collection, monitoring and evaluation of SC and ST livelihood activity in the state.
2. Loans, grants and other financial facilities for self-employment projects.
3. Capacity development and skill enhancement training, which is the part that pays for computer and other vocational courses.

UKBVVN was incorporated on 25 October 2001 with an authorised capital of Rs 20 crore and paid-up capital of Rs 18.50 crore. Shareholding is split with the Government of India holding 49% and the Government of Uttarakhand 51%. The corporation is the state channelising agency for the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation, which is why its training money is ring-fenced for SC and ST candidates. At the district level, the District Social Welfare Officer doubles as the corporation's district manager, that is the office a candidate actually deals with.

The courses sponsored under the training component are the ones with visible local hiring demand: computer applications and office work, computer hardware and networking, accounting and Tally, web designing and digital marketing. The exact trade offered in a given year depends on which institute the corporation empanels in that district, so the trade list in a Dehradun advertisement will not necessarily match one in Pithoragarh.

Who is eligible for free computer training in Uttarakhand?

You can apply if:

• You belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe notified for Uttarakhand and hold a caste certificate from a competent authority.
• You are a permanent resident of Uttarakhand.
• Your family income does not exceed Rs 40,000 a year in a rural area or Rs 55,000 a year in an urban area, which is the ceiling UKBVVN publishes for Jeevika Avsar Protsahan Yojana. Rural BPL families qualify on the strength of a Block Development Officer's certificate instead.
• You fall inside the age band of 18 to 50 years used by the corporation for the scheme as a whole. Individual training advertisements have narrowed this to 18 to 35 years.
• You meet the educational qualification named in the advertisement. The computer hardware and networking batch advertised in Almora required an Intermediate (Class 12) pass.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. General-category, OBC and minority candidates are not eligible through UKBVVN and should look at the Social Welfare Department, Minority Welfare Department or the skill development mission instead.
• You are not a resident of Uttarakhand.
• Your family income is above the ceiling and you hold no BPL certificate.
• You are outside the age band advertised for the batch.
• You have already been sponsored for a training course by the corporation. Seats are scarce and repeat sponsorship is not the intent of the scheme.
• No batch is currently advertised in your district. There is no rolling application window; applying outside an advertised batch produces nothing.

What documents are required?

Carry originals for verification and hand in self-attested photocopies. District offices generally will not accept an application with a missing income or caste certificate, because both are used to build the selection merit list.

How to apply for free computer training in Uttarakhand

1. Watch for the batch advertisement. UKBVVN publishes trade-wise advertisements at ukbvvn.org.in and through the District Social Welfare Office; notices also go up on the Vikas Bhawan noticeboard and in local Hindi dailies. Each advertisement names the trade, the institute, the number of seats and the last date.
2. Collect the application form from the office of the District Social Welfare Officer, who is the corporation's district manager, or from the empanelled training institute named in the advertisement. Some advertisements allow both submission points.
3. Fill the form and attach self-attested copies of your caste certificate, residence certificate, income or BPL certificate, age proof, educational marksheets, Aadhaar and photographs.
4. Submit the completed form before the last date at the office named in the advertisement, and collect a receipt or acknowledgement. Missing the printed deadline is the single most common reason applications are not considered.
5. Attend the verification or counselling call. The district office checks caste, income and age against the originals, and prepares a selection list when applications exceed the seats on offer.
6. Join the course on the reporting date. Selected candidates report to the empanelled institute; the corporation settles the fee with the institute directly, so no money should be paid to any agent or coordinator.

There is no online application portal for the training component. If a website asks you to pay a "registration fee" for Uttarakhand free computer training, treat it as fraudulent.

What does the scheme actually pay for?

Free Computer Training covers the course fee for a one-year vocational course paid by the corporation to the empanelled institute. The candidate's out-of-pocket cost for tuition is nil. UKBVVN has not published a stipend, travel allowance or hostel component for this training on its own pages, so a candidate should budget for travel and living costs unless the batch advertisement states otherwise.

This is separate from the corporation's financial assistance side, where project costs of Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,00,000 are funded with roughly 60% bank loan, 30% margin money at 7% annual interest repayable in 60 instalments, and a grant of up to Rs 10,000. A trainee who finishes a computer course and wants to open a service centre can approach the same district office for that self-employment support. Beneficiary contribution is nil for projects up to Rs 1 lakh and 10% for projects between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh.

How to check your application status

There is no status-tracking website for this scheme. Follow up in person or by phone with the District Social Welfare Officer's office quoting the acknowledgement number on your receipt, the trade you applied for and the batch advertisement date. The selection list is normally displayed at the district office and at the training institute. Keep a photocopy of your submitted form, because district offices sometimes ask the applicant to reproduce it during verification.

Common reasons applications are rejected

• Income certificate above the ceiling: Rs 40,000 rural or Rs 55,000 urban is a low bar, and a certificate issued at a higher figure will not be overlooked.
• Caste certificate issued outside Uttarakhand, or an expired certificate.
• Age outside the advertised band, most often applicants above 35 in batches restricted to 18 to 35.
• Educational qualification short of the advertised requirement, such as a Class 10 pass applying for a Class 12 batch.
• Application submitted after the last date, or at the wrong office.
• Incomplete attachments, particularly missing photographs or an unsigned form.

Most of these are fixable before the next batch. Get certificates re-issued with current figures and keep them ready, because the window between advertisement and last date is often only two to three weeks.

Where to raise a grievance

• District Social Welfare Officer / UKBVVN district manager, at the Vikas Bhawan of your district — the first point of contact for a rejected or unanswered application.
• Uttarakhand Bahuuddeshiya Vitt Evam Vikas Nigam Ltd, head office in Dehradun. Written queries can be sent to the corporation's email address listed on ukbvvn.org.in.
• Social Welfare Department, Uttarakhand at socialwelfare.uk.gov.in, which administers the corporation.

No helpline number for this specific scheme has been verified on an official Uttarakhand portal, so this guide does not print one. The phone number shown for the board on some directory pages is a placeholder rather than a working line: use the district office instead.