India 2018

Welfare 541
forward to 2016-17 and Scheme will remain open through out the year so the
students can apply any time. Financial assistance under the Scheme is provided
for a maximum period of 4 years for Ph.D and 3 years for Masters programme.
The income ceiling from all sources of the employed candidate or his/her
parents/guardians should not be more than ` 50,000/- per month
Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana
The objective of the Scheme is to provide hostel facilities to SC boys and girls
studying in middle schools, higher secondary schools, colleges and universities.
The state governments/union territory administrations and the central and state
universities/institutions are eligible for central assistance, both for fresh
construction of hostel buildings and for expansion of the existing hostel facilities
while NGOs and deemed Universities in the private sector can avail the benefit
only for expansion of their existing hostel facilities.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for SC Students
The scheme provides financial assistance to Scheduled Caste students for
pursuing research studies leading to M. Phil, Ph.D, and equivalent research
degree in universities, research institutions and scientific institutions. University
Grants Commission (UGC) is the nodal agency for implementing the scheme.
About 2000 Junior Research Fellowships (JRF) per year are awarded to scheduled
caste students. Number of fellowships were increased from 1333 in 2010 to
2000 in 2011. In case of non-availability of adequate number of Scheduled Caste
candidates, the number of fellowships not availed during a year will be carried
forward to the next academic session. In case, the number of candidates exceeds
the number of available awards, the UGC selects the candidates based on the
percentage of marks obtained by the candidates in their post Graduation
examination. There is no income ceiling prescribed under the Scheme.
Special Central Assistance
Scheduled Castes Sub Plan
Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP) is a central
sector scheme, started in 1980, under which 100 per cent grant is given to the
states/UTs, as an additive to their Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP). The main
objective is to give a thrust to family oriented schemes of economic development
of SCs below the poverty line.
Scheduled Castes Development Corporations
The Centrally Sponsored Scheme for participating in the equity share of the
Scheduled Castes Development Corporations (SCDCs) in the ratio of 49:51
(central/state) was introduced in 1979. At present, SCDCs are functioning in 27
states/UTs. The main functions of SCDCs are identification of eligible SC families
and motivating them to undertake economic development schemes, sponsoring
the schemes to financial institutions for credit support, providing financial
assistance in the form of margin money at low rate of interest and subsidy in