Pre Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities

Introduced in June 2006, the Pre Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities is a pristine Prime Minister's 15-point Programme for Minorities intended for the welfare of meritorious students belonging to minority groups. Provided by the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA Scholarship), the purpose of this pre-matric level scheme is ‘Empowerment through Education’, which has the potential to lead to improving minority communities' socioeconomic conditions. Parents from minority communities will be encouraged to send their children to school using the Pre Matric Minority Scholarship, being able to lighten their financial burden and supporting their efforts to ensure that their children complete the basic school education.

By providing a level playing field in the competitive employment arena, the MoMA scholarship has the prospect of establishing the foundation for a student's educational accomplishment. Applicants for the Pre Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities must be enrolled in a government or private school in India, studying from class 1st to class 10. This includes residential government institutions and accredited private institutions specified and apprised openly by the relevant State Government and Union Territory Administration. Continue reading to check out the detailed Pre Matric Minority Scholarship eligibility criteria, admission process, documents required, benefits, and so on.

Students belonging to the minority community groups as identified by the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, under Section 2 (c), are eligible to apply for the Pre Matric Minority Scholarship. These include religions such as Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis), Muslims, Christians, and Jain. As a result, applicants belonging to any religion except these will impulsively be ineligible to apply for this Pre Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities.

Along with renewal scholarships, approximately 30 lakh scholarships are intended to be granted as "Fresh" scholarships. Furthermore, the number of minorities residing in each State or Union Territory will determine how the Pre Matric Minority Scholarship scholarships are distributed among them.

As discussed, the Pre Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities is intended for minority students studying from classes 1 to 10. Thus, applicants who meet the eligibility requirements for this MoMA scholarship must be members of any minority community. The following pointers constitute Pre Matric Minority Scholarship eligibility:

• Students must be enrolled in a government or private school and be studying between classes 1 and 10.
• The prospective applicant's parent or guardian's annual family income must not be more than INR 1 LPA. The whole income from every source is included in this annual income.
• Candidates for this MoMA scholarship must have received at least 50% aggregate marks in their prior final exam.
• As specified by the Indian government, students must be members of a minority group.  Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and Zoroastrians (Parsis) are among them.
• MoMA Scholarship will not be granted to more than two students from the same family (applicable to all minority scholarships under this ministry obtained together).

The Pre Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities is accessible through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), similar to other centrally sponsored grants. For students who are not familiar with NSP, it is an online application portal for all scholarships offered by the Central Government of India. To apply, receive, sanction, and disburse scholarships, the NSP provides a single automated platform. To apply for the MoMA scholarship utilising NSP, one can take the following steps:

• Candidates must first visit the NSP's official website.
• The next step is to sign up as a new user and fill out the necessary details.
• Give your date of birth, name, gender, phone number, place of residence, email address, and application selection for the MoMA scholarship.
• Following the completion of this step, an OTP will be generated and used to confirm the phone number.
• To log in to NSP and complete the form, use the OTP that was sent to the registered mobile device.
• An application password and user ID will be generated as a result, which can be used later.

Note: No changes can be made once the MoMA scholarship application has been submitted.

The selection procedure for the MoMA scholarship is mainly divided into two types — fresh and renewal. The following is a discussion about the same:

Fresh: There must be a selectivity because there are a definite and limited number of MoMA scholarships awarded each year. Instead of marks, the inter-selection process will give weight to students belonging to impoverished backgrounds (the applicant must present an Income Certificate for this). In the case that any two applicants’ DOB is the same, a senior individual will be given preference when determining merit.

Renewal: For situations involving renewal, there is no merit list generation. Scholarships will be awarded to renewal applicants only if they have received 50% aggregate marks in their previous year's exams (at the same school and a similar course). Also, the candidate's application must have been accepted by the UTs/State Governments/ and has been verified by all relevant authorities as appointed by the MoMA scholarship authorities.

Applicants must upload certain documents on the application portal to apply for the Pre-Matric Minority Scholarship. Students must accurately upload the scanned versions of their documents and fill out the application form as any incorrect information may lead to immediate rejection. As a part of the MoMA scholarship application process, the following documents will be needed:

• Aadhar number (or alternative identification documents)
• Applicant’s passport-size photographs
• Bank details of the applicant/ parent/guardian such as their account no., IFSC code, etc.
• Community certificate certified by parent/guardian
• Fee receipt of ‘Current course year’
• An income certificate issued from a Competent Authority in the State/UT
• Residential/Domicile certificate.
• Bonafide certificate (Issued by the school)
• Self-attested mark sheet of the last qualifying exam
• Self-certified community certificate
• Verification form by the institution

The last date to apply for the Pre Matric Minority Scholarship is held somewhere around mid-November every year. Furthermore, the Defective Application Verification Date and  Institute Verification will be nearly held after two to three weeks of the scheme closing date. The following table shows the last date for the tentative Pre Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities:

The Post Matric Scholarship for Minorities offered by the Ministry of Minority Affairs includes several benefits for students of all levels. Candidates will not only enjoy benefits in terms of tuition fees but also other expenses that are common while pursuing post-matric education. The benefits of the Post Matric Scholarship for Minorities have been mentioned below:

If there are any questions, candidates can reach out to the relevant authorities by letter or phone. From Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, except holidays, prospective students can call the Samadhaan Toll-free Helpline Number 1800-11-2001 to get any questions about the MoMA scholarship answered. You can also reach out to the administrating authority using the information provided below.

• Telephone Number: 0120 - 6619540
• Email ID: helpdesk@nsp.gov.in