Top Class Education For Students With Disabilities

Description
A scholarship scheme by DoEPwDs for Students with Disabilities SwDs pursuing studies beyond class 12th admitted in a full-time course in one of the 'notified institutions'. The students with the specified disabilities defined in Schedule of the "Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016" will be eligible under this scheme. This includes persons with visual, hearing, speech, loco-motor, mental retardation, and other disabilities. At times SwDs are deprived of harnessing their latent skills and thereby miss the opportunity. This scheme aims to support SwDs to study further in order to prepare themselves to earn their livelihood and to find a dignified place for themselves in the society as they face several barriers physical, financial, psychological, mental in pursuing studies and living with dignity.

Exclusions
• Not more than two children with disabilities of the same parents will be entitled to receive the benefits of the scheme. Provided in case the second child is a twin, the scholarship will be admissible to both.
• If a student is found to have obtained a scholarship by false statements, his/her scholarship will be cancelled forthwith and the amount of the scholarship will be recovered, at the discretion of DEPwD, GoI. The student concerned will be blacklisted and debarred for scholarship in any scheme forever.
• If the scholar changes the subject of the course of study for which the scholarship was originally awarded unless such change in course has been approved by DEPwD.
• If a student has to repeat a class, he/she would not get any scholarship for that class for a second (or subsequent) year.

Definitions
Person with Disability (PwD)
“person with disability” means a person with long term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which, in interaction with barriers, hinders his full and effective participation in society equally with others.
(Source: https://legislative.gov.in/sites/default/files/A2016-49_1.pdf)

Notified Institutions
The institutions notified by DoEPwD, provided in Annexure - II of the scheme guidelines.
(Source: http://disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/scholarship2(1).pdf)

Benefits
• Payment of Full tuition fee and non-refundable charges (Ceiling of ₹ 2.00 LPA per student for private sector institutions)
• Living expenses: ₹ 3000/- per month per student.
• Books and stationery: ₹ 5000/- per annum per student.
• A computer/laptop with accessories (UPS and printer) is limited to ₹ 30,000/- per student (one-time assistance).
• Reimbursement of expenses for the purchase of Aids and Assistive Devices including necessary software related to the particular disability of the selected candidate: ₹ 30,000/- per student (one-time assistance).
• Special Allowance (related to types of disabilities like Reader Allowance, Escort Allowance, Helper Allowance etc.): ₹ 2000/- per month.
• Braille / Brailer Typewriter
• Laptop with screen-reading software
• Laptop with Screen Magnification software
• Talk software for mobile phone accessibility
• DAISY Recorder and player
• Binaural digital programmable hearing aid with provision for button cells.
• Cell phone with SMS SIM Card
• Laptop with WiFi (Bluetooth) facility.

Eligibility Criteria
1. The applicant should be a Student admitted in a full-time course in one of the "notified institutions".
2. The Percentage of Disability should be 40% or above.
3. The applicant should be Pursuing a Graduate or Post Graduate Degree or Diploma.
4. The Total Annual Income of the Parent / Guardian should be less than or equal to ₹ 6.00 Lakh per Annum.
5. The applicant MUST NOT be the third sibling in his/her family who is availing of this scholarship.

Application Process
Step 1: Step 1: Keep the soft copies of the required documents.
Online — http://www.scholarships.gov.in/
Go to http://www.scholarships.gov.in/. and click “New Registration”.
Guidelines for Registration will appear. Scroll to the bottom.
Read the undertaking carefully. Accept the Terms. Click “Continue”.

Step 2: Step 2: A Registration Form will appear. (The fields marked as * are compulsory)
Online — http://www.scholarships.gov.in/
Fill in the details and click “Register”.
Your Application ID and password will be displayed.
The same will also be sent as an SMS to your registered mobile number.

Step 3: Step 3: Go to https://scholarships.gov.in/fresh/newstdRegfrmInstruction
Online — http://www.scholarships.gov.in/
Click on “Login to Apply”. Enter your Application ID and password.
Type the Captcha and click “Login”.
On the next screen, provide the OTP received on your registered mobile number. You will be directed to the Password Reset screen.
Create a new password and confirm.
Click “Submit”. You will be directed to the “Applicant’s Dashboard”.

Step 4: Step 4: On the left pane, click “Application Form”. The fields marked as * are compulsory. Fill in the details and upload the documents.
Online — http://www.scholarships.gov.in/
You can either click on “Save as Draft” to complete the application later.
Otherwise, click “Final Submit” to submit the application.

Required Documents
• Income Certificate.
• Domicile Certificate.
• Self-attested Degree/Mark Sheet of the last qualifying exam.
• Fee Receipt of ‘Current Course Year’.
• Bank Details of the applicant or of the Parent/Guardian.
• Aadhaar Number.
• Bonafide Student Certificate from the school/institute.
• Recent colour photograph of the candidate.
• Certificate of Disability (issued by a competent authority).
• Declaration Certificate (issued by HoD or competent authority of the university or institute).

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Am I eligible for this scholarship if two of my siblings are availing the benefits of this scheme?
A: No. You won't be eligible in this case.

Q: How will my tuition fee and non-refundable charges be paid?
A: The payment will be made directly to the institution.

Q: Is there a validity to the scheme benefits?
A: The benefits are provided till the complete duration of the course.

Q: What would be the mode of payment of the scholarship?
A: The payment of the scholarship will be through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Q: What if there are more than one student with equal marks for the last available slot in an institution?
A: In such cases, preference will be given to the student with lower Parent / Guardian income.

Q: Will I be eligible for the scholarship if I fail to get promoted to the next semester?
A: No. The scholarship will be terminated in that case.

Q: Is there a percentage of slots reserved for girl students?
A: Yes, 30% of the total slots are reserved for girl students.

Q: Can I apply offline for the scholarship?
A: No. You need to visit https://scholarships.gov.in/ to apply.

Q: Is there any application fee?
A: No. The entire application process is completely free of cost.

Q: Do I need to complete the application in one sitting?
A: No. You can save the application as draft and continue at a later time before the deadline.

Q: How do I track the status of my application?
A: You can check the same anytime by visiting the Applicant Dashboard and clicking "Track Status" in the left pane.

Q: What should be the type and size of the documents to be uploaded?
A: The format should be.pdf or .jpeg. The size of each document should not be greater than 200 kb.

Q: In what cases a Bonafide Certificate from the institute is needed?
A: It is needed if the institute is located in a State/UT different from domicile State/UT of the applicant.

Q: How do I know if a field in the application form is mandatory?
A: The mandatory fields have a red asterisk (*) mark at the end.