The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has introduced the ‘SHRESHTA’ initiative. This program is called the Scheme for Residential Education for High School Students in Targeted Areas. The ‘SHRESHTA’ plan was established to deliver quality education and opportunities to SC children.
About the initiative:
- In addition to offering high-quality education to Scheduled Caste children in the country’s top private residential schools, the initiative’s primary objective is to improve the socioeconomic situation of the Scheduled Caste communities.
- Admission will be available at CBSE-affiliated private institutions for classes 9 and 11.
Primary objectives:
- The goal is to make the delivery of government projects and plans as simple as possible.
- To foster the economic improvement and general growth of the “Scheduled Castes.”
- Collaborating with volunteer organizations to bridge the gap in education service-deprived Scheduled Castes (SCs) dominated regions.
- To provide high-quality education to brilliant Scheduled Caste (SC) children so that they can seek future chances.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Children from Scheduled Castes communities currently enrolled in 8th and 10th grades in the current school year (2021-22) are entitled to join the project.
- Individuals from the SC community under a disadvantaged category with a yearly income of up to Rs.2.5 lakh are entitled to be benefitted from this scheme.
- The selection process will be done via a simplified technique known as the SHRESHTA National Entrance Test (NETS).
- The National Testing Agency (NTA) will be administering authority for enrollment in classes 9th and 11th.
Beneficiaries:
- The government anticipated that roughly 3000 kids from the SC category would be accommodated in Class 9 and 11 under this initiative each year.
- The Ministry will cover the total cost of their education and housing costs until they complete their studies in class 12th.
- The program provides a three-month “Bridge Course” for children joining CBSE-based institutions from state schools, rural regions, or regional language schools.
- The scholarships will be distributed in one payment to the schools in the first quarter of each fiscal year, and the plan will be designated a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.
What are the additional SC-Related Initiatives?
Post-secondary scholarship programs for SC
- This is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that was introduced in the year 2006. It is carried out through the participation of both National and state governments.
- The government is resolved to boost its efforts so that the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of SCs in post-secondary learning achieves national benchmarks within five years.
National Scholarship Program
- The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has been responsible for implementing and executing this initiative through a merit-based examination.
- The national scholarship will be available to students from the Schedule Caste communities, Denotified caste, Other Backward Class (OBC), and Economically weaker Caste categories.
Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana
- For the execution and implementation of this scheme, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is the primary agency responsible.
- As part of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, support is provided by the central government to the concerned institutions, including State Government entities, State Universities, Colleges, as well as Deemed institutions, for the establishment of new hostels and residences or the expansion of existing accommodation facilities, for students belonging to Scheduled Castes.
