Banishree Scholarship - Odisha

The main purpose of the Banishree scholarship is to the students with special needs is to assist and encourage them to study as well as acquire technical/professional/vocational training so as to enable them to earn a living and to become useful members of society. 

Applicability for Banishree Scheme

The scheme shall apply to students, 

• pursuing primary education (Std. I to V). 

• reading in middle & high schools (std. VI to X), not covered by Govt. of India Scholarship. 

• reading in colleges/universities, not covered by the Government of India Scholarship. 

• reading in special schools registered under PWD, Act 1995, but not receiving grant-in-aid from State/ Central Govt.

• pursuing distance education through recognized universities/Govt. institutes.

• pursuing technical/ vocational/ professional education in any of the recognized institutes. 

Eligibility Criteria for Banishree Scheme

For the purpose of award of scholarship under the scheme, applications can be submitted subject to fulfilling the following conditions :– 

• The applicant must be a bona fide resident of Orissa. 

• The applicant should be a regular student of an educational institution. 

• The parental/ family income of the applicant is not more than Rs.60,000 per annum.

• The applicant is not receiving any financial assistance/stipend/scholarship from State Govt./ Central Govt. under any other scheme.

• The student will continue to get the scholarship if he enrolls and regularly attends any recognised institution irrespective of whether he has passed or not in a particular year. 

Documents Required to Apply for Banishree Scheme

• Each application shall be accompanied by the following documents:– 

• Disability Certificate issued by Medical Board 

• Income Certificate issued by Revenue Officer not below the rank of Tahasildar or any other officer of equivalent status.

• Mark-sheets of last examination passed duly attested by a Gazetted Officer or the Head of the Institution concerned. 

NOTE: Income Certificate is not required in case the student belongs to BPL family. 

Application Procedure under Banishree Scheme

The application procedure under Banishree Scheme is as follows:

• The District Social Welfare Officer will get adequate Nos. of application forms printed as per the format and supply the same to concerned Sub-Collectors/ Block Development Officers (BDOs) / head of schools/ colleges/ educational institutions in advance, so that there will be no dearth of application forms in their offices

• The students desiring to avail scholarship will collect application forms either from the head of school/ college/ educational institution or from the concerned Sub-Collector/ BDO, and submit the same after duly filling in to the head of institutions immediately after taking admission. 

• In case of schools/educational institutions up to high school standard in rural areas, the concerned Block Development Officer is authorized to sanction scholarship. In case of schools/ educational institutions in Municipal/ NAC areas as well as colleges/higher educational institutions including professional/ technical/ vocational institutions in both rural and urban areas, the Sub-Collector is authorized to sanction the scholarship. 

• The head of the school/ college/ educational institution on receipt of such applications will verify the information given therein by the candidates with reference to records available, or otherwise, and recommend for sanction to concerned Sub-Collector / BDO

• On the receipt of all such recommended application, the concerned Sub-Collector will sanction the scholarship in respect of Municipality / NAC areas and concerned BDO in respect of rural areas

• BDO/Sub-Collector, as the case may be, after sanctioning the scholarship, will place the requirement of funds to Collector/DSWO by 31st of August

• After sanction of the scholarship amount, the BDO/ Sub-Collector / head of the institution will see that :–

• bank account is opened even with zero balance in the name of the candidate in case the candidate is 18 years of age or above, or 

• a joint account in the name of the candidate himself and name of his father/ mother/ guardian in case the candidate is below 18 years. 

• The District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) will see that such requirements reach him/her by the given deadline. 

• The DSWO will submit the Block & Subdivision Wise requirement to the State Government by 15th of September. 

• After receipt of requirement from the DSWO, the State Government will release funds in first allotment to the Sub-Collectors/BDOs by the end of September. The State Government will release the balance funds in the final phase by the end of January of the same financial year. 

Rates of Scholarship under Banishree Scheme

The rate/amount of this scholarship is as under: 

• Inside the State— 

• Outside the State

  • Students pursuing normal course of study or technical/ vocational / professional education/training not available in the State and not covered by Govt. of India Scholarship shall get Rs.250.00 per month. 

  • In case of visually challenged candidates, Reader’s Allowance shall be paid at Rs.100 per month for primary classes and Rs.150 per month for middle and high school classes and Rs.200 per month for other studies, if it is certified by the head of the institution that the candidate has continuously employed a reader during the period of study, subject to the condition that such assistance is not availed of from Govt. of India.  

  • In case of orthopaedically handicapped students who has 75% or above disabilities requiring special arrangements for transport, an additional monthly allowance of Rs.100 per month may be sanctioned for transport, if it is not covered by the scheme of integrated education.

Application Form

Application Form for Banishree Scholarship

References

While crafting this guide, we have consulted reliable and authoritative sources, including official government directives, user manuals, and pertinent content sourced from government websites.

Banishree Scholarship Guidelines