Gopabandhu Sikhya Sahayata Yojana, Odisha 2018‑19

The Gopabandhu Sikhya Sahayata Yojana is run and managed by the Higher Education Department of the Government of Odisha. It helps students from vulnerable families meet the cost of a graduate or postgraduate course in Odisha. Each selected student receives Rs. 20,000 a year.

You can apply if you are an Odisha permanent resident studying in a recognised college in the state, and your family falls into one of the groups listed below.

What you get

The Rs. 20,000 a year figure applies to both graduate and postgraduate study. You can also receive other scholarships at the same time. Help continues for the normal length of your course and is paid each year until the course is complete.

Who can apply

• Residence: You must be a permanent resident of Odisha.
• Family group: Your family must belong to one of these groups: a family where one or both parents have HIV/AIDS, a household without shelter, a destitute family or one living on alms, a manual scavenger family, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group family, a family of legally released bonded labourers, or a single-mother family where the mother is widowed, divorced or unmarried and has dependent children. The student should belong to any of the following categories of families.
• Course and college: The student should have been enrolled for graduate and post graduate courses on regular mode from the recognized Colleges, Institutes or Universities in the State of Odisha. Approved non-technical, technical and professional courses qualify, when offered by Government Universities of Odisha or colleges recognised by the State Government.
• Income: Household income from all sources must be less than Rs. 10,000 a month. Some unofficial guides quote Rs. 2.5 lakh a year, which the official guideline does not show. Confirm the current limit on the portal before you apply.
• Caste and age: The guideline sets no caste category and no age limit.
• Who cannot apply: Students who are not Odisha permanent residents, who study outside a recognised Odisha institution, or whose families fall outside the listed groups do not qualify.

How to apply

1. Check that your family group, course, college and household income fit the rules above.
2. Apply online on the Odisha State Scholarship Portal, scholarship.odisha.gov.in, on or before the closing date of the scheme. The portal lists this scheme under the Higher Education Department, Government of Odisha.
3. Print two hard copies of your online application.
4. Attach your documents to both copies and submit them to the Principal or Head of your institution. The Principal or Head of the institution where you study processes them.

Documents you need

• Resident certificate from the Tahasildar or Additional Tahasildar. It is issued by the competent authority, the Tahasildar or Addl. Tahasildar.
• Income certificate from a Revenue Officer not below the rank of Tahasildar or Additional Tahasildar. Proof of annual income must come from the competent authority, the Revenue Officer.
• HIV/AIDS medical certificate from the concerned medical officer, where it applies. Required only if the family is affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Certificate of no shelter from a competent revenue authority, where it applies. It is needed only if required.
• Single mother certificate from the District Social Welfare Officer, where it applies.
• Destitute or living-on-alms certificate from the local Sarpanch or Urban Local Body authority, where it applies.
• Manual scavenger certificate from the competent authority, where it applies.
• Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group certificate from the District Welfare Officer, where it applies.
• Bonded labourer certificate from the District Welfare Officer, District Labour Officer or another competent authority, where it applies.
• Bank passbook copy. The passbook copy must show your name, bank account number and IFSC code.

How students are selected

The Principal or Head of the institution verifies your details and documents, and checks your eligibility. Incomplete or late applications, and those from ineligible students, may be rejected at this stage. Complete applications go to the District Collector, and the institution keeps one set of the papers on record.

A committee set up by the District Collector finalises the list of eligible students. The list goes to the Higher Education Department for payment. The Department then transfers the money electronically to each selected student’s bank account.

If you give false information, the student must refund the entire amount to the Higher Education Department.

Renewal

Help runs for the normal duration of the course and is given each year until the course is complete. The official guideline does not describe a separate renewal form or process, and it does not say whether you must file a fresh application each year. Ask your institution and check the portal for your year.

Important dates

The official guideline gives no closing date. Its application form is for the year 2018-19 and 2019-20. Detailed procedures for submitting applications are meant to be posted on the Higher Education Department’s official website. The official documents we read do not give a 2026-27 closing date, so check the Odisha State Scholarship Portal for the current window and apply before its last date.