This initiative provides academic fees and maintenance allowances to support students from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh pursuing higher education outside the Union Territories.
Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan Yojana - Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh - Introduction
An Expert Group was constituted by the Prime Minister on 18th August, 2010 in the context of enhancing employment opportunities among youths of Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh to formulate a job plan involving public and private sectors. Among the key recommendations of the Expert Group, one was to offer 5000 fresh scholarships per annum to encourage the youth of J&K and Ladakh to pursue higher studies outside the UTs. The proposal arises out of the identified strategy of a human resource development initiative focused on improving skill set through improving access to education.
To provide academic fee (tuition and other admissible fee) and maintenance allowance (to bear expenses on account of hostel & mess fee, cost of books and other incidental charges) to students belonging to J&K and Ladakh who, after passing Class XII or equivalent examination, secure admission in Government colleges/institutions and other select institutions outside the UTs of J&K and Ladakh through AICTE’s counselling process under the supernumerary quota created by the Government except in medical courses. Scheme was launched in the year 2011 and modified from time to time to make the scheme student friendly. The scheme also envisages building capacities of the youth of J&K and Ladakh to enable them to compete with their peers in the national mainstream and exposure to other states and union territories’ culture, language, and livelihood and promote the understanding of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.’.
Under the scheme, 5000 fresh scholarships are available per annum. Out of these, 2070 scholarships are for General Degree Courses, 2830 for Professional/Engineering courses and 100 for Medical Courses. The number of scholarships for Engineering and Medical Studies would be kept flexible, subject to the ceiling of 5000 fresh scholarships per annum and subject to the savings accruing from any shortfall in the number of students opting for General Degree courses.
Benefits
Rate of Scholarships, Academic Fee & Maintenance Allowance:
Stream: General Degree
- Number of Scholarships: 2070 (fixed)
- Academic Fee (Upper limit): ₹30,000/-
- Maintenance Charges (Fixed): ₹1,00,000/-*
Stream: Professional/Engineering/B.Sc.Nursing / B. Pharmacy/ B. Architecture (subject to NATA)/HMCT Degree
- Number of Scholarships: 2830 (flexible)
- Academic Fee (Upper limit): ₹1,25,000/-
- Maintenance Charges (Fixed): ₹1,00,000/-*
Stream: Medical/BDS or equivalent Medical Stream (subject to NEET, wherever applicable)
- Number of Scholarships: 100 (flexible)
- Academic Fee (Upper limit): ₹3,00,000/-
- Maintenance Charges (Fixed): ₹1,00,000/-*
*Not exceeding ₹1,00,000 per annum (in ten equal installments to meet hostel, mess, books, stationery & other incidentals). Fresh students admitted in the academic session 2024-25 onwards maintenance allowance will be paid through NSP portal.
The number of scholarships for engineering and medical studies would be kept flexible, subject to the ceiling of 5000 fresh scholarships per annum and subject to the savings accruing from any shortfall in the number of students opting for general degree courses.
Disbursement of Scholarship:
- The scholarship towards academic fees will be paid directly to the Institution as per claim or as per rate fixed by the respective State Fee Regulatory Authority or as fixed by any Regulatory Authority appointed by the Government, whichever is less and within the overall ceiling fixed for the course.
- All the Institutions may note that the upper ceiling of the Academic Fee inclusive of all admissible components taken together is ₹1,25,000/- for the Professional / Engineering Stream; ₹30,000/- for General Stream and ₹3,00,000 for Medical Stream.
- Even if the total fee of the institute is more than the ceiling, neither AICTE shall reimburse the extra amount nor the institute can charge the same from the students.
- The fixed maintenance allowance of ₹1,00,000 per annum for all streams will be paid to the bank account of the student through NSP portal using the PFMS gateway in 10 monthly installments of ₹10,000/- each.
Duration of Scholarships:
- The scholarships granted under the scheme are renewed in subsequent classes subject to good conduct and maintenance of attendance as prescribed by the respective institution.
- Students failing to get promoted to the next class/level would get the scholarship in the following year subject to the condition that if the student fails again for the second time, then he/she would forfeit the scholarship, and the scholarship would not be renewed for the subsequent years.
- If a scholar is unable to appear in the annual examination owing to illness and/or on account of any unforeseen incident, the scholarship may be renewed for the next academic year on submission of a medical certificate and other proof to satisfy the Head of the Institution who will also certify the same. The scholarship will not be paid twice for the same year of study.
Eligibility
- Candidates should be domicile of Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
- Candidates must have passed the 12th examination from JKBOSE or CBSE affiliated schools located in UTs of J&K and Ladakh.
- The family income of the candidate should be less than or equal to ₹8,00,000 per annum.
- The candidate who wants to take admission under the Lateral Entry Scheme has to pass a Diploma in Engineering from the Polytechnic Institutes recognized by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), UTs of J&K and Ladakh.
- Candidates are compulsorily required to apply online on the AICTE web-portal and verify their documents through the nearest Facilitation Centers of UTs of J&K and Ladakh within the time frame.
- Admission under the Lateral Entry Scheme will be subject to the allocation of seats / vacant seats of the preceding year in the Engineering Stream and in the relevant stream only.
- A merit list will be prepared for HSC and Lateral Entry students, and the same shall be displayed on the student’s portal only for the conduction of online counselling for final allotment of seats in colleges to eligible candidates subject to choice filling/availability of scholarships.
Exclusions
Categories of Candidates NOT eligible under the SSSJ&KL:
- Candidates pursuing courses through Open Universities.
- Student availing benefit of any other scholarship Scheme from any Central/State/UT Government Schemes or any scheme run by any autonomous body under them.
- Candidates gaining admission through ‘Management Quota’.
- Candidates pursuing Diploma course.
- Candidates pursuing Post-Graduate level studies, in any discipline.
- Candidates having family income over Rs. 8.00 Lakh per annum.
- Not applied through online registration in the AICTE Portal.
- Taking admission in the Colleges other than the prescribed colleges given in AICTE Portal.
- Admission through Agents /NGOs.
Application Process
- STEP 1: Notification in Newspaper & on AICTE website.
- STEP 2: Registration on scholarships.gov.in & application submission by the candidate in aicte-jk-scholarship-gov.in.
- STEP 3: Verification of documents at the Facilitation cum Documents Verification Centre.
- STEP 4: Choice of filling from candidate’s login on SSSJKL portal.
- STEP 5: Announcement of Merit List on SSSJKL portal.
- STEP 6: Online Counselling by AICTE (Multiple Rounds).
- STEP 7: Grievance redressal through AICTE Centralized Support System.
- STEP 8: Reporting to the allotted Institution Physically and upload the auto – generated) joining report.
- STEP 9: Registration on NSP portal using SSSJKL candidate id for NSP Application id.
- STEP 10: Verification of NSP Application Form by institute and AICTE on NSP portal.
- STEP 11: Disbursal of Scholarship to Verified Candidates by NSP.
- STEP 1: Notification on AICTE website.
- STEP 2:Registration on NSP portal for OTR registration & application submission by the candidate in SSSJKL portal.
- STEP 3: Verification of documents at the Facilitation cum Documents Verification Centre.
- STEP 4: Announcement of Merit List on SSSJKL portal.
- STEP 5: Grievance redressal through AICTE Centralized Support System.
- STEP 6: Participation in competitive exam counseling (NEET, JEE, CUET, etc.).
- STEP 7: If seat allotted, report to the allotted Institution Physically and complete the joining formalities.
- STEP 8: Upload documents (counseling allotment letter, fees receipt, institute ID card) in SSSJKL portal's entrance exam tab.
- STEP 9: Institute uploads auto-generated joining report on SSSJKL portal after candidate's application approval.
- STEP 10: Registration on NSP portal using SSSJKL candidate id for NSP Application id.
- STEP 11: Verification of NSP Application Form by institute and AICTE on NSP portal.
- STEP 12: Disbursal of Scholarship to Verified Candidates by NSP.