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SCHOLARSHIP & STIPEND :

In order that no brilliant student is prevented from pursuing post-matric, higher studies because of poverty, the Central Government as well as the State Government introduced various scholarship schemes, five of which are being currently administered in the state by the Scholarship and Stipend Section of the Education Directorate, Government of West Bengal, Bikash Bhavan, 9th floor, North Block, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700 091 :

I .   National Scholarship Scheme

Introduced in 1961-62, this scheme ran continuously for more than four decades before being  formally withdrawn from the 2004-05 session. This means no candidates passing their qualifying examination (like Madhyamik / H.S / Graduation) in 2004-05 or later can apply for the National Scholarships any more;  only the renewal cases will be sanctioned now for those students who came into the fold of this scholarship scheme before 2004-05.

 Rates of National Scholarship : 

National Scholarship Sanction Figures in 2008-2009 :

II. National Merit Scholarship Scheme

In replacement of the earlier National Scholarship Scheme, this scheme was introduced with effect from the 2004-05 session; but it continued only for three years before getting withdrawn with effect from the 2007-08 session. Several changes were effected in the funding pattern, rate, quota, selection criteria etc. and the main distinctive features of this scheme are:

i)        The scheme is absolutely centre-funded.

ii)       The parental income ceiling is Rs.1.00 lakh per annum.

iii)      Total quota of scholarships for the state is 1421.

National Merit Scholarship Rates and Quota (for West Bengal):

N.M.S. Sanction Figures from the Education Directorate in 2008-2009:

The procedure which used to be followed for selecting candidates at the PG & UG-level for the National Merit Scholarship Scheme is as follows :

The State’s quota (142) for PG – level scholarships (NMS) is divided among different universities of the state. The universities then prepare their own Merit Lists (as per the quota) based on the results of their students in their graduation – level examinations and on the annual family income of the students, and distribute the blank prescribed application forms with the Entitlement Cards among them which the students duly fill up before submitting directly to the Scholarship & Stipend Section of the Education Directorate, W. Bengal.

For the UG – level National Merit Scholarships (quota = 426), the West Bengal Higher Secondary Council prepares the merit list and distribute the formal i.e. prescribed, application forms plus Entitlement Cards to the suitable HS – passed candidates in a similar manner as described above. 

III.    D.P.I. Special Stipend Scheme :

This covers two types of financial assistance : (i) General Stipend, and (ii) Ad-hoc grant.

D.P.I. Special Stipends (General Stipend ) are given to those Madhyamik-passed / graduation-passed students who have good results but not enough to get them a place in the merit list for National Scholarship / National Merit Scholarship. A fresh Madhyamik-passed student may continue to get the stipend till the last year of his/her graduation, provided she/he continues to perform above a prescribed level in each of the intervening promotional examinations.

Current rate, quota and eligibility information for D.P.I. Special Stipend Scheme (General Stipend):

The other category of D.P.I. Special Stipend, called Ad-hoc Grant, is given to four institutions in the state –   (i) R.K. Mission Vidyapith, Purulia, (ii) R.K. Mission Ashrama , Sarisha,(iii) R. K .Mission Multi-purpose school, Kamarpukur and (iv) Jalpaiguri Govt. Engineering College, who in turn disburse this grant among a fixed number of their most needy and meritorious students.

D.P.I. Special Stipend Sanction Figures in 2008-2009:

Efforts are on either to revise and rationalise the rate and quota of D.P.I. Special Stipends (both General Stipends and  Ad-hoc Grants).

IV.    Hindi Scholarship Scheme :

In order to encourage the study of Hindi in Non-Hindi speaking states, Government of India has implemented the Hindi Scholarship Scheme for the post-matric students [ H.S., U.G., P.G., and Research(M. Phil. / Ph.D. etc)]. The scholarship is given to students whose mother tongue is not Hindi and who are studying in a Non-Hindi speaking state in a recognized full-time course with Hindi as the sole subject or as one of the combination subjects. The total quota of Hindi Scholarships for West Bengal is 239.

Hindi Scholarship Rates and Eligibility Criteria :

Sanction Figures for Hindi Scholarship in 2008-2009:

V.  West Bengal Government Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme :

The State Government has introduced from the academic year 2006-2007 a new scholarship scheme named ‘West Bengal Government Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme’ for providing financial assistance to the poor but meritorious students of the State pursuing higher studies at various post-Madhyamik levels.

Meritorious students coming from poor families, who are domiciled in West Bengal and have enrolled themselves in one of the State Govt. institutions or State Govt. aided institutions after passing out from the State Board/Council of Secondary/Higher Secondary Education or a State-aided University in West Bengal will be eligible to apply for this scholarship.

Rates and Quota of W.B.G.M-C-M Scholarships:

Though the Department of Higher Education of the Government of West Bengal acts as the nodal department for this scholarship scheme, for ease of administering the scheme it has been decided that the concerned Directorates be given the responsibility to run the scheme for the students and courses falling within their respective jurisdictions.  Thus, the Directorate of School Education (DSE) handles the H.S.-level; the Education Directorate (i.e. the Directorate of Public Instruction, or DPI) handles the UG (Arts, Commerce, Science and non-Engg. & non-Med. Professional Courses)-level as well as the PG (Arts, Commerce, Science and non-Engg. & non-Med. Professional Courses)-level; the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) handles the UG (Engg.)-level; the Directorate of Technical Education & Training (DTET) handles the UG (Polytechnic)-level and the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) handles the UG (Med.)-level of the scholarship scheme.  There is a high-power Steering Committee headed by the Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge of Higher Education, West Bengal, for the over-all supervision and monitoring of the scheme.

There is no system of distributing any prescribed application forms for this scholarship; instead the application format is published in newspaper advertisements inserted by the Government of West Bengal around June-July seeking applications for the scholarship. For applicants in the 2007-08 academic year the minimum eligibility criteria included: (i) Yearly Income of the applicant’s family from all sources not exceeding Rs. 80,000/-,  and, (ii) 75% marks in aggregate in the Madhyamik or the H.S. Exam. for applying respectively for the H.S.-level or the UG-level scholarships, or 55% marks in the Honours subject in graduation for the PG-level scholarships.

In order to extend relief to the poor and meritorious students admitted into Govt. Engineering and Technology Colleges, the State Govt. has taken measures to grant the benefit of full and half free studentship. 10% students selected on merit cum means basis will come under the purview of the scheme each year. Private self financing colleges have also been brought under such facilities extent of minimum 5%.

Performance report since the academic year 2006-2007 is produced below :

* Rs.8,31,76,800/- for fresh cases and Rs.6,62,57,250/- for renewal cases have been sub-alloted to 5 (Five) Directors for disbursement of Scholarship money.

 
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