Bhubaneswar: Dec, 04: The government has taken an important step on Friday to promote the educational development of students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and backward classes in the state.
In a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at Lokseva Bhawan, it was decided under the Mukhyamantri Medhavi Chhatra Yojana to increase the pre-matric scholarship for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students and also raise the post-matric scholarship for higher-level students.
Regarding this, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja said that considering the rise in prices of essential commodities such as food and daily-use items, the government has increased the scholarship amounts. For male students, the scholarship has been increased from Rs10,500 to ₹16,000, while for female students, it has been increased from ₹11,000 to Rs17,000 per year (for 10 months). These scholarships will be provided to residential students from kindergarten up to class 10.
Scholarship Details:
Female students: Rs17,000 per year
Male students:Rs16,000 per year
For students living in hostels, pre-matric scholarship for girls will rise from Rs11,000 annually to Rs17,000. Similarly, post-matric scholarship for students studying in higher secondary schools operated by the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Department has also been increased.
Through this scheme, each male student will receive ₹16,000 per year, while female students will receive Rs17,000 per year for 10 months. This scholarship revision ensures that residential SC/ST students receive better and nutritious food in schools.
The revised scholarship will come into effect from December 2025–26 academic year, according to the Chief Secretary.