Saksham Yojana Scheme

The Saksham Yojana provides financial assistance to students for completing their higher education, i.e. Undergraduate Degree and Diploma Courses. The Saksham scheme is a scheme under the Ministry of Human Resource Development and implemented by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Scholarships are provided under this scheme for differently-abled students pursuing a technical degree or diploma courses from a recognised institution. The students who avail of this scholarship can also apply for renewal under this scheme. 

The scholarship provided under this scheme aims to promote technical education by providing financial assistance to specially-abled students for continuing their professional studies.

Benefits Provided Under the Saksham Yojana

Scholarships are provided for all eligible students/beneficiaries under this scheme to complete their education. Scholarships are provided in the form of cash to students studying in Undergraduate Degree or Diploma courses.

For Undergraduate Degree Course – From the academic year, 2020-21, Rs.50,000 per annum is provided for every year of study, for a maximum of 4 years for first-year admitted students and for a maximum of 3 years for students admitted through lateral entry (LE) as lump sum amount. The lump-sum amount is provided towards payment of:

• College fee, 
• Computer purchase, 
• Stationery,
• Books, 
• Equipment, 
• Software’s purchase etc.

However, no other additional grant is paid in lieu of medical and hostel charges, etc. 

For Diploma Course – From the academic year, 2020-21, Rs.50,000 per annum is provided for every year of study, for a maximum of 3 years for first-year admitted students and a maximum of 2 years for students admitted through lateral entry (LE) as a lump sum amount. 

The lump-sum amount is provided towards payment of:

• College fee, 
• Computer purchase, 
• Stationery, 
• Books, 
• Equipment, 
• Software’s purchase etc.

However, no other additional grant is paid in lieu of medical and hostel charges, etc. 

Eligibility Criteria For Saksham Scheme

The applicants who fulfil the Saksham scheme eligibility criteria can apply for obtaining the scholarship/benefits provided under this scheme. The eligibility criteria are as follows:

• Only the differently-abled students who have more than 40% disability are eligible for the benefits under this scheme.
• The family income of a student should be below Rs.8 lakh per annum.
• The students should be admitted for Diploma, or Undergraduate Degree Level Programmes or Courses in the AICTE approved institutions. 
• The students should be admitted in the first year of their Degree/Diploma Course or the Second year of the Degree/Diploma course through LE in any of the AICTE approved institutions for the respective year. 

Saksham Yojana Application Procedure

The applicants fulfilling the eligibility criteria can apply online for a scholarship under the Saksham scheme on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). The following are the steps for applying for a scholarship under the Saksham scheme:

Step 1: Go to the NSP portal and click on the ‘New Registration’ option on the top of the page. This will open the guidelines page.

Step 2: Read the guidelines carefully, tick/select the undertakings listed under the ‘Undertaking by Applicants or Parent/Guardian’ heading and click the ‘Continue’ button. 

Step 3: Fill in all the details of the ‘Fresh Registration Application’ form such as the name, mobile number, date of birth, email ID, and select the state of domicile, scheme type, scholarship category, and gender. 

Step 4: Fill in the bank details. 

Step 5: Select the Identification Detail (either Aadhaar or Bank Account Number), select/tick the verifications and click on the ‘Register’ button.

Step 6: Student Application ID and Password will be sent to the applicants’ mobile number.

Step 7: Click on the ‘Login’ option on the top of the screen on the NPS Portal. 

Step 8: Enter the Applicant ID and Password and click on ‘Login’. Enter the OTP received on the mobile number.

Step 9: After logging in, fill the application form for the scholarship and submit it.

Note: Fill the application form for the scholarship before the expiry of the last date. The dates for the scholarship will be announced on the NPS website. The list of selected beneficiaries is announced on the AICTE website. 

Saksham scheme can be renewed by logging through their registered Applicant ID and password on the AICTE portal and fill the renewal form and submit it along with the required documents. 

Documents Required For the Saksham Scheme

• Copy of SSC (Secondary School Certificate) or 10th Certificate.
• Copy of HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) or 12th Certificate (In case of scholarship for Degree level).
• Copy of ITI (Industrial Training Institute) Certificate (In case of the Lateral Entry for Diploma level).
• Copy of the Diploma Certificate (In case of Lateral Entry for Degree level).
• Bank passbook.
• Aadhaar card.
• Caste Certificate.
• Study Certificate.
• Bank Mandate Form.
• Annual Family Income Certificate.