Pre-Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Caste (SC) Students, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 2025‑26

The Pre-Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Caste (SC) students gives a yearly allowance to SC children in Classes 9 and 10. The scheme aims at literacy and uninterrupted schooling for SC children at the pre-matric level, and the Government of India funds it as a centrally sponsored scheme. In Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, the UT Social Welfare Department issues the local notice inviting fresh and renewal applications through the National Scholarship Portal.

The allowance is Rs. 3,500 a year for day scholars and Rs. 7,000 a year for hostellers. Your family income must be Rs. 2.50 lakh a year or less. The official sources I could open give the 2025-26 closing date as 31 October 2025. They do not give the 2026-27 closing date for this scheme.

What you get

From 2022-23, the Ministry guideline pays a consolidated academic allowance. Day scholars receive Rs. 3,500 a year, and hostellers under Component 1 receive Rs. 7,000 a year. Divyang (disabled) students get an extra 10% allowance.

The guideline routes the whole amount, from both the state and the centre, straight into the student’s or parent’s bank account through DBT, preferably via Aadhaar Based Payment.

The same scheme has a second part for children of parents in certain cleaning and hazardous work. That part has no income ceiling. This page covers only the SC part.

Who can apply

• You must be a national of India.
• The award comes from the government of the state or UT where you are domiciled, which is Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu for this page.
• You must belong to a Scheduled Caste. The caste certificate must come from a competent authority.
• You must study full time in Class 9 or 10 at a government school or a recognised private school with a valid UDISE code.
• Your parent or guardian’s income from all sources must be not more than Rs. 2.50 lakh per annum.
• You cannot hold another educational scholarship for studying in Classes I to X. The UT notice adds that a student may hold only one scholarship from all central government schemes for SC, ST, OBC, EBC and disability.

Students outside Classes 9 and 10, non-Indian nationals, and students whose family income is above the limit do not qualify. The official sources do not publish an age limit. I found no minimum marks rule for this scheme in them.

How to apply

1. The One Time Registration (OTR) can be generated with your Aadhaar or Aadhaar enrolment number, and the NSP OTR app is on the Google Play Store. Your OTR is needed to fill the scholarship application.
2. If you need help, a Common Service Centre can handle the full process for you, and the total charge is Rs. 30 per candidate.
3. Before face authentication, check that the biometric lock in your Aadhaar shows as unlocked.
4. The portal opened for academic year 2026-27 from 1 June 2026. Log in at scholarships.gov.in and apply under the SC pre-matric scheme. Schools are meant to make students apply on the portal on the day they are admitted.
5. Your school head checks the form against the eligibility rules, approves it, and forwards it to the district or state authority.
6. The school confirms on the portal that you are a bona fide student there.

Documents you need

• Caste certificate issued by a competent authority (SC, ST or OBC caste certificate issued by a competent authority)
• Domicile certificate issued by a competent authority
• Income certificate issued by a competent authority
• Your Aadhaar ID or Aadhaar enrolment ID, or another ID as the Ministry notification allows, is required at admission.
• If you have a disability, you need a UDID number. If you do not have one, you can apply for it through the link on the NSP portal.

The UT notice says compulsory documents must be uploaded in original. The Ministry guideline, however, says no certificates should be uploaded, and that the system should check data through linked databases. Keep your originals ready and follow the prompts on the portal.

How students are selected

The State or UT government must identify the poorest students among all eligible categories and encourage them to enrol. The number of scholarships each year is pegged at the highest figure of the past three years for which data is available. The official sources I read describe no merit ranking for this scheme.

Renewal

Your award continues until you pass Class 10, if your academic performance is satisfactory and your attendance is 75% in every academic year. Attendance is verified through an Aadhaar based attendance system. The scholarship covers one year per class. A student who repeats a class gets no scholarship for that class. The guideline says renewals should happen automatically when you move up a class with the required attendance, without a fresh application.

Important dates