Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers (Pre and Post-Matric) 2026‑27

The Ministry of Labour and Employment funds a scholarship for children of beedi, cine and mine workers. Its official name is Financial Assistance for Education of the Wards of Beedi/Cine/IOMC/LSDM Workers. Help starts at Class 1 and reaches professional courses. Each student gets between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 25,000 a year, depending on class or course.

The 2026-27 round is closed. The cut-off for Pre-Matric was 31 August 2026, and the Post-Matric cut-off was 31 October 2026. Students apply online on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in. The money goes to the student’s bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

What you get

The enhanced rates apply from AY 2026-27 and are the same for boys and girls. Students promoted to the next class can apply for these amounts.

Who can apply

• A parent must have worked at least six months as a beedi, IOMC, LSDM or cine worker. Contract and Gharkhata (home-based) workers count too. The scheme’s description also names mica mine workers (Mica Mines).
• Income is counted monthly, from all sources. For beedi families the limit is Rs. 10,000. Mine workers doing manual, unskilled, highly skilled or clerical work qualify whatever their wages. Supervisory and managerial staff must earn up to Rs. 10,000 a month. Cine workers’ pay must not exceed Rs. 8,000 a month, or Rs. 1,00,000 if paid as a lump sum or in instalments.
• No minimum marks are required. The student must have passed the last qualifying exam in the first attempt, but students promoted to the next class are also eligible to apply.
• The student needs regular admission at a recognised institution for general or technical education, including medical, engineering and agricultural studies. The institution must be a government or government recognised institute.
• The official documents I read do not set an age limit.

Who cannot apply

• Students studying through correspondence are not eligible.
• Students who repeat the same stage in another subject, such as B.Sc. after B.Com, or who move into a different professional line after finishing one, are not eligible (the examples given are B.Sc. after B.Com, and LL.B. after B.Ed.).
• The rules on other scholarships differ. The scheme’s rules say students receiving a scholarship or stipend from any other source are not covered. The newer 2026-27 notes say one merit-based scholarship and one or more welfare-based scholarships can be applied for. Check the current NSP form before you apply.
• If a parent stops being a beedi, mine or cine worker, the scholarship can be cancelled.

How to apply

The 2026-27 round is closed, so these steps are for the next round. They follow the ministry’s NSP FAQ.

1. Register on the National Scholarship Portal through One-Time Registration (OTR). You get an OTR ID.
2. Use the OTR ID to log in and fill in the application form.
3. Select the right scheme before you proceed, because you can withdraw and apply fresh if you pick the wrong one.
4. Upload the documents listed below and submit the form.
5. To withdraw, log into NSP, go to ‘My Applications,’ and select the ‘Withdraw Application’ option, as long as the application has not been approved or paid.

For help, the Welfare Commissioner’s Office in Nagpur can be reached at 0712-2510200 or 0712-2510474, or by email at wcngp-labour@nic.in (the office handles queries for the Nagpur region). The ministry’s Directorate General of Labour Welfare can be reached at dglw-mole@gov.in or 011-223384891 (Directorate General of Labour Welfare, Ministry of Labour and Employment, New Delhi).

Documents you need

• A passport-size photo.
• A copy of the worker parent’s identity card. For mine workers, this is the Form B register number.
• The front page of a bank passbook, or a cancelled cheque, showing the account holder’s name.
• The passing certificate or marksheet from the previous academic year.
• An income certificate issued by the revenue authority.

The NSP FAQ says the 2026-27 payment uses the Aadhaar Payment Bridge, and no bank details are asked in the form. The 2026 release is stricter: the scholar should have a separate bank account, and in a joint account the scholar’s name should come first. Open or check the account before you apply.

How students are selected

The official notices I read do not publish a merit list or a cut-off. Eligibility decides the outcome, so the worker status, income, course and institution details must all match. Detailed guidelines are available on the portal.

Renewal

To renew, use the ‘Link Renewal Application’ option after your name, gender and date of birth match the previous year’s application, and make sure no active new application exists under your OTR. The notices do not say whether a fresh application is needed each year.

The scholarship stops if you leave your studies, or if your progress is unsatisfactory, your attendance is irregular, or you are found guilty of misconduct. Changing course or institution without the Welfare Commissioner’s approval also cancels it (changing the subject or the institution without prior approval).

Important dates

• Applications for 2026-27 opened on 1 June 2026.
• The Pre-Matric (Class 1 to 10) last date was 31 August 2026.
• The Post-Matric (Class 11 and above) last date was 31 October 2026.
• Both dates have passed. The official notices I read do not give dates for the next round. Watch scholarships.gov.in for the next notice.