The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment implements a Central Sector Scheme of “Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary and other Organizations working for Scheduled Castes” under which financial assistance is provided to the NGOs for projects related to Education sector to Scheduled Caste students. The Scheme broadly covers 3 types of projects namely (i) Residential Schools (ii) Non Residential Schools and (iii) Hostels, both for Primary and Secondary Students. During the last three years, the scheme was revised w.e.f. 01.04.2020 for 2020-21 therewith assistance provided for operation and up-gradation costs of already functional/ongoing and new projects of Residential/Non-Residential Schools and Hostels including the project of Hostel for Girls, to eligible Voluntary and other organizations.

The scheme has, further, been revised w.e.f 2021-22 and renamed as Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas (SHRESHTA), which is operated in two Modes.

Under Mode-I of the Scheme, every year a specified number of meritorious SC students in States/UTs, whose parents annual income is up to Rs. 2.5 Lakh, are selected for providing quality residential education in Top-class Private Residential High Schools, including Hostel facilities for SC students at free of cost from class 9th to class 12th. Entire cost of school fee and residential charges including mess charges, ranging from Rs.1 Lakh to 1,35,000/- p.a. for each student, are paid to the Reputed Private Schools by the Department of Social justice and Empowerment. Under Mode-II, ongoing projects of Non-residential schools/Residential Schools/ Hostels of the VOs/NGOs are supported. Components like salary of staff, food items, books and stationary etc. have been dropped from the revised Scheme and unitary cost norm (per student basis) have been included to make the scheme more transparent, free from manipulation of costs and more beneficiary oriented. Admissible Grant for each project on per SC student basis under Mode- II of SHRESHTA is as under:

	Cost per student limit (Rs per year)
	Residential	Non residential	Hostel
Primary	35000	11000	16000
Secondary	55000	35000	28000

 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri A. Narayan Swamy in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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MG/DP/SB 

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