“This scheme was started in 2008-09 and a cumulative total of 66.63 lakh scholarships have been awarded till 31st March 2011”, said a ministry official. For 2010-11, the achievement is 44.21 lakh as against the target of 20 lakh. Of these, 48 per cent of the Scholarships Granted during 2010-11 went to girl student. The target for 2011-12 is 27 lakh scholarships.
Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme is one of the three scholarship schemes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs included under the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities.
Meanwhile Ministry of Minority Affairs has decided to launch the ‘Online Scholarship Management System’ (OSMS) for managing the scholarship details of the beneficiaries across the country and also ensure transparency in the implementation of the schemes for minority students. According to officials, the system is expected to be launched sometime after April 20 and UP will be one of the biggest focus states, having the highest number of students getting benefits under various schemes