Scholarships for girls, SC, ST, OBC and minority students: the real schemes, and the one document you'll always need

Real government scholarship schemes exist by name for girls, SC/ST/OBC students, and minority students — but almost every number attached to them disagrees depending on where you look, even official-looking documents. This post names the real schemes, the one document every category-based scholarship needs, and exactly what to check before trusting any amount you've been quoted.

Summary

• PM YASASVI is a real central scheme for OBC/EBC/DNT students, family income under ₹2.5 lakh, with selection now based on your prior-class marks (the separate entrance test was discontinued).
• AICTE Pragati is a real AICTE scheme for girls in their first year of an AICTE-approved degree/diploma programme (or second year via lateral entry), family income capped at ₹8 lakh/year, up to two girls per family.
• This post will not quote a specific award amount for either scheme — multiple sources, including an actual AICTE document, disagree with each other on the figure. Check the scheme's current official notification for the real number.
• Every SC/ST/OBC category-based scholarship needs a valid Caste Certificate from the competent authority — budget time for this if you don't already have one.
• Central schemes apply through the National Scholarship Portal; your own state may run a separate portal alongside it (already covered in blog #8).

PM YASASVI — for OBC, EBC and DNT students

PM YASASVI ("Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India") is a real central government scheme. What's consistent across every source checked: it's aimed at OBC, EBC (Economically Backward Class), and DNT (Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes) students, with a family-income ceiling of ₹2.5 lakh per year. The scheme used to run its own entrance test (YET), which has since been discontinued — selection today is based on your marks in the previous qualifying class instead.

What this post won't tell you: a specific award amount. Sources disagree on both the figure and which class years it applies to. Check the current notification on the National Scholarship Portal before assuming any number you've read elsewhere.

AICTE Pragati — for girls in technical education

Pragati is a real AICTE scheme, confirmed from an actual AICTE scheme document, not just secondary listings. The eligibility criteria are consistent everywhere checked:

• You must be in your first year of a degree or diploma course at an AICTE-approved institute, or your second year via lateral entry.
• Your family's income from all sources must not exceed ₹8 lakh per year.
• A maximum of two girls per family can receive it.
• Selection is on merit, based on your qualifying exam.

What this post won't tell you: a specific award amount. Even the official-looking AICTE documents found this session disagree with each other — one describes a tuition-component-plus-monthly-allowance structure, another describes a flat yearly amount, and they don't name the same figure. This is exactly why checking the scheme's current notification matters more than trusting any single source, including an official-looking PDF that may simply be from an older cycle.

The one document every category scheme needs: a Caste Certificate

Whatever specific SC/ST/OBC scheme you're applying to, a Caste Certificate issued by the competent authority (your state's revenue/SDM office, typically) is a near-universal requirement. If you don't already have one, this is usually the single step that takes longest — start it early, well before any application deadline.

Where to actually apply

• Central schemes (including PM YASASVI) go through the National Scholarship Portal, already covered in blog #8 — register, get your One Time Registration (OTR) number, then apply.
• AICTE Pragati is applied for through AICTE's own scholarship process (check the current AICTE notification for the exact application route, since it may differ from the general NSP flow).
• State-specific schemes for the same categories may exist on a separate state scholarship portal — check your own state's education department site, same advice as blog #8.

How to contribute what you know

Shalyam's Scholarships field stores a scheme's name, its official notice URL, and eligibility — read directly from college/services/field_contributions.py. If you know that a specific college participates in one of these schemes, or has its own scheme for these categories, you can add it with the official notice as proof.

Browse colleges on Shalyam to see this in practice.