Pre Matric SC Scheme, Jharkhand 2025‑26

The e-Kalyan portal lists a Pre Matric SC Scheme, along with separate pre-matric schemes for ST and BC students. It is a Jharkhand state scholarship for Scheduled Caste students in classes 1 to 10.

The state’s welfare department runs it, and the Centre for Good Governance builds and maintains the scholarship system for the state. The official pages I could read do not give a 2026-27 rate or deadline, so check the portal before you plan around either.

What you get

Rates are fixed by the class the child is in and by whether the child is a day scholar or a hosteller. The official pages I could read do not print the rupee rate for pre-matric students, so ask the child’s school or the District Welfare Office for the current figure. District Welfare Officers carry out the schemes at district and field level.

Payment goes by direct bank transfer. Up to class 8 the money can go to a parent’s account or the student’s, and from class 9 it goes to the student.

Who can apply

• Category: Scheduled Caste. This page covers SC students only.
• Place of study: The award is tied to studies inside Jharkhand, in government schools.
• Class: Class 1 to class 10.
• School: A child must attend regularly and full time. Under the pre-matric level, government, project and government-recognised schools qualify, and so do minority schools.
• Bank account: Students must provide an Aadhaar-linked bank account while applying.
• Family income: The official rules set the income ceiling at Rs. 2.5 lakh for SC and ST post-matric students. The official pages I could read do not state an income limit for pre-matric.
• Marks: The minimum-marks rule of 40 per cent for SC and ST students appears under post-matric. No pre-matric marks rule appears in the pages I read.
• Age: The official pages do not give an age limit.
• Who cannot apply: A child who is not in classes 1 to 10, or who is not in a government or recognised school, falls outside these rules. A student gets only one scholarship in an academic year under all schemes.

How to apply

Applications go through the e-Kalyan portal and are checked at district level. For pre-matric, the school does most of the work:

1. Give the school your child’s Aadhaar number and an Aadhaar-linked bank account.
2. The school prepares the list of eligible students.
3. The headmaster or principal sends the list through the block officer to the District Education Officer.
4. The District Education Officer checks the list and sends it to the District Welfare Officer for sanction.
5. A District Level Committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner approves the list for payment.

Documents you need

The official pages I could read do not list documents for pre-matric applicants. They name the Aadhaar-linked bank account. For post-matric cases, the district welfare officer checks uploaded income, caste and residential certificates before sanctioning the scholarship. Keep the same certificates ready, and ask the school which ones it needs.

How students are selected

The school’s list decides who is considered. In 2019 the state ordered that the principal certify on the list that every eligible student is included and no ineligible student is. A 2023 audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General found that principals had not taken enough care preparing some pre-matric lists.

Renewal

The official pages I could read do not describe a separate renewal form for pre-matric. A scholarship is allowed for only one year in a class. Each year’s award is therefore tied to the class the child is in that year, so ask the school to include your child on the next year’s list.

Important dates

The latest official figures I could read are for 2025-26. The portal’s scheme-wise table shows 29,16,018 beneficiaries for pre-matric scholarships, which covers all pre-matric schemes together, not SC students alone. For 2023-24, the portal’s notice set pre-matric registration from 20 July 2023 to 20 October 2023, followed by an extension to 20 February 2024. The official pages I could read do not give 2026-27 dates. The portal homepage copy I could read still shows notices for 2021-22, so check the portal’s notice board for the 2026-27 schedule before you act.