Context:
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment addressed student beneficiaries of the PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India (PM-YASASVI) scheme on Republic Day 2025.
PM-YASASVI Scheme:
- A comprehensive umbrella scheme aimed at uplifting students from Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Backward Classes (EBC), and Denotified Tribes (DNT) by providing access to quality education during their formative years.
- Genesis – Consolidated and enhanced several earlier initiatives, including the Dr. Ambedkar Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for EBCs and the Dr. Ambedkar Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for DNTs
- Objective – Promote educational empowerment among socially and economically disadvantaged students, helping them overcome financial barriers and complete their education.
- Scholarships:
- Pre-Matric Scholarship: Available for students in classes IX and X attending government schools.
- Post-Matric Scholarship: Available for higher studies at post-matriculation or post-secondary stage.
- Eligibility: Family income below Rs. 2.5 lakh.
- Implementing Agency: Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
De-notified Tribes (DNTs):
- Communities once notified under the Criminal Tribes Acts, enforced by the British Raj between 1871 and 1947.
- These Acts were repealed by the Government of India in 1952, and these communities were “De-Notified”.
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2017 Prelims]
(a) Achieving 100% literacy by promoting collaboration between voluntary organizations and government’s education system and local communities.
(b) Connecting institutions of higher education with local communities to address development challenges through appropriate technologies.
(c) Strengthening India’s scientific research institutions in order to make India a scientific and technological power.
(d) Developing human capital by allocating special funds for health care and education of rural and urban poor, and organizing skill development programmes and vocational training for them.
Answer: (b)
