SHRESHTA scheme UPSC: Relevance
- GS 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.
SHRESHTA Scheme: Context
- Recently, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has launched a new scheme SHRESHTA for residential education for students in High school in Targeted Areas.
SHRESHTA Scheme: Key points
- SHRESHTA full form: Scheme for Residential Education for Students in Targeted Areas
- The Scheme will be beneficial for SC students those who could not reach for higher quality education.
- SHRESHTA has been formulated with the objective to provide quality education and opportunities for even the poorest Scheduled Caste students.
- The SHRESHTA scheme has been launched to provide quality education in top class private Residential Schools to the meritorious SC students who cannot afford the fee of such schools.
About SHRESHTA scheme
- SHRESHTA provides for high quality education for meritorious but poor SC students in CBSE-affiliated reputed residential schools across the country.
- Approximately 3,000 seats are provided each year for admission in class 9th and 11th and the entire cost of the school fee and residential charges are borne by the Department.
- The students, belonging to Scheduled Castes, studying in class 8th and 10th in the current academic year are eligible for availing the benefits of scheme are selected through a transparent mechanism through a National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS), which is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission in class 9th and 11th.
- Students belonging to marginalized income group within the SC community, whose parental annual income is up to Rs.2.5 Lakh are eligible.
- Successful candidates, after following the e-counselling process, are given admission in the school of their choice anywhere in the Country for their academic persuasion.
- The Department shall bear the total cost of the school fee and hostel charges till completion of their academic up to class 12th. There after the students of the scheme may avail benefits of other schemes of the Department for their higher education.
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