In order that no brilliant student is prevented from pursuing post-matric, higher studies because of poverty, the Central Government as well as the State Government introduced various scholarship schemes, five of which are being currently administered in the state by the Scholarship and Stipend Section of the Education Directorate, Government of West Bengal, Bikash Bhavan, 9th floor, North Block, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700 091 :
1) DPI Special Stipend Scheme
2) Hindi Scholarship Scheme
3) Swami Vivekananda Govt. of West Bengal Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme
This covers financial assistance under Ad-hoc grant.
D.P.I. Special Stipend, called Ad-hoc Grant, is given to four institutions in the state – (i) R.K. Mission Vidyapith, Purulia, (ii) R.K. Mission Ashrama , Sarisha,(iii) R. K .Mission Multi-purpose school, Kamarpukur and (iv) Jalpaiguri Govt. Engineering College, who in turn disburse this grant among a fixed number of their most needy and meritorious students.
| Type of Stipend | Budget – Head | Amount sanctioned | Number of Scholars awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.P.I. Spl. Stipend(Ad-hoc Grant) | 2202-80-107-NP-002-V-31-02 | Rs. 1,14,000/- | 19 |
Efforts are on either to revise and rationalise the rate and quota of D.P.I. Special Stipends (both General Stipends and Ad-hoc Grants).
In order to encourage the study of Hindi in Non-Hindi speaking states, Government of India has implemented the Hindi Scholarship Scheme for the post-matric students [ H.S., U.G., P.G., and Research(M. Phil. / Ph.D. etc)]. The scholarship is given to students whose mother tongue is not Hindi and who are studying in a Non-Hindi speaking state in a recognized full-time course with Hindi as the sole subject or as one of the combination subjects. The total quota of Hindi Scholarships for West Bengal is 239.
| Stage of Study | Quota (239) | Rate | Eligibility for applying |
|---|---|---|---|
| For H.S. stage | 143 | @Rs.300/- per month | Hindi is to be a subject in the H.S. course and 60% marks in aggregate in the Matric Exam. (Madhyamik / CBSE/ ICSE etc.) |
| For Graduation(UG) stage | 72 | @Rs.500/- per month | Hindi to be a subject in the UG-course and 60% aggregate marks in the H.S. Exam. |
| For Post-Graduation (PG) and/or Research Stage | 24 | @Rs.1000/- per month | Hindi to be the subject of study and 60% marks in Graduation or Post-Graduation as the case may be |
| Budget – Head (Non-Plan- Developmental) | Amount sanctioned | Number of Scholars awarded |
|---|---|---|
| 2202-05-200-ND-001-V-50 | Rs.1,07,000/- | 31 |
The State Government has introduced from the academic year 2006-2007 a new scholarship scheme named ‘West Bengal Government Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme’ for providing financial assistance to the poor but meritorious students of the State pursuing higher studies at various post-Madhyamik levels. Meritorious students coming from poor families, who are domiciled in West Bengal and have enrolled themselves in one of the State Govt. institutions or State Govt. aided institutions after passing out from the State Board/Council of Secondary/Higher Secondary Education or a State-aided University in West Bengal will be eligible to apply for this scholarship. This scheme has been named as Swami Vivekananda Govt. of West Bengal Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme in the year 2013.
| Sl. No. | Level | Rate (per month) | Quota |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | H.S. | Rs. 500/- | 1500 |
| 2. | UG (Arts) | Rs. 750/- | 550 |
| 3. | UG (Commerce) | Rs. 750/- | 150 |
| 4. | UG (Science) | Rs. 900/- | 325 |
| 5. | UG (Professional Courses other than Engg. / Med.) | Rs. 900/- | 25 |
| 6. | UG (Polytechnic) | Rs. 750/- | 100 |
| 7. | UG (Engineering) | Rs. 1400/- | 200 |
| 8. | UG (Medicine including MBBS, BDS, BHMS etc.) | Rs. 1500/- | 200 |
| 9. | PG (Arts) | Rs. 1200/- | 300 |
| 10. | PG (Commerce) | Rs. 1200/- | 100 |
| 11. | PG (Science) | Rs. 1400/- | 225 |
| 12. | PG (Professional Courses other than Engg./Med.) | Rs. 1400/- | 25 |
| Total number of Scholarships = | 3,700 | ||
Though the Department of Higher Education of the Government of West Bengal acts as the nodal department for this scholarship scheme, for ease of administering the scheme, it has been decided that the concerned Directorates be given the responsibility to run the scheme for the students and courses falling within their respective jurisdictions. Thus, the Directorate of School Education (DSE) handles the H.S.-level; the Education Directorate (i.e. the Directorate of Public Instruction, or DPI) handles the UG (Arts, Commerce, Science and non-Engg. & non-Med. Professional Courses)-level as well as the PG (Arts, Commerce, Science and non-Engg. & non-Med. Professional Courses)-level; the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) handles the UG (Engg.)-level; the Directorate of Technical Education & Training (DTET) handles the UG (Polytechnic)-level and the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) handles the UG (Med.)-level of the scholarship scheme. There is a high-power Steering Committee headed by the Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge of Higher Education, West Bengal, for the over-all supervision and monitoring of the scheme.
There is no system of distributing any prescribed application forms for this scholarship; instead the application format is published in newspaper advertisements inserted by the Government of West Bengal around June-July seeking applications for the scholarship. For applicants in the 2007-08 academic year the minimum eligibility criteria included: (i) Yearly Income of the applicant’s family from all sources not exceeding Rs. 80,000/-, and, (ii) 75% marks in aggregate in the Madhyamik or the H.S. Exam. for applying respectively for the H.S.-level or the UG-level scholarships, or 55% marks in the Honours subject in graduation for the PG-level scholarships.
In order to extend relief to the poor and meritorious students admitted into Govt. Engineering and Technology Colleges, the State Govt. has taken measures to grant the benefit of full and half free studentship. 10% students selected on merit cum means basis will come under the purview of the scheme each year. Private self financing colleges have also been brought under such facilities extent of minimum 5%.
| Year | Number of valid application received | Amount of scholarship awarded |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 - 2007 | 517 | 6390150 |
| 2007-2008 | 2106 (Fresh) 492 (Renewal) |
33720800 |
| 2008-2009 | 3656 (Fresh) 1997 (Renewal) |
73942250 |
| 2009-2010 | 7030 (Fresh) 2734 (Renewal) |
121258400 |
| 2010-2011 | 8482 (Fresh) 9063 (Renewal) |
211342100 |
| 2011-2012 | 13998 (Fresh) 5032 (Renewal) |
183594100 |
| 2012-2013 | 13472 (Fresh) 11572 (Renewal) |
246841400 |
| 2013-2014 | 13391 (Fresh) 7125 (Renewal) |
261043600 |
| 2014-2015 | 9621 (Fresh) 12817 (Renewal) |
285550800 |