Chhattisgarh Mahtari Dular Yojana

Scheme Introduction: A Brief Overview

The Chhattisgarh Mahtari Dular Yojana is an education support scheme launched by the Government of Chhattisgarh to help children who lost their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic continue their education. The scheme has been implemented across the state since the academic session 2021–22. The School Education Department implements the scheme, while the Directorate of Public Instruction (Lok Shikshan Sanchalanalaya), Nava Raipur, oversees day-to-day operations through the state school scholarship portal. 

The state government launched this scheme because many families lost their earning member during the pandemic, and the children of these families suddenly faced a risk of dropping out of school. The objective of Mahtari Dular Yojana is to ensure free school education for helpless and orphaned children whose parents died due to COVID-19, so that the loss of a parent does not end a child's schooling. The scheme also aims to support these children beyond school by encouraging higher education and helping meritorious students prepare for professional courses.

Under the Mahtari Dular Scheme, eligible children get free education in government schools and priority admission in Swami Atmanand English Medium Schools. If a child has lost both parents to COVID-19, the state government bears the entire cost of education. Eligible students studying in a government school or a recognised private school in the state get a monthly scholarship of ₹500 for Classes 1 to 8 and ₹1,000 for Classes 9 to 12.

For children already enrolled in a private school for at least one year, the scheme allows them to continue in the same school or shift to a Swami Atmanand school, with the state government covering their school fee. In the case of newly admitted students in private schools, the government pays up to the academic expense of a central government residential Navodaya or Eklavya school, or the actual expense of the private school, whichever is lower.

The scheme works through the District Education Officer (DEO). A student or guardian can apply directly to the DEO, and the Collector can also forward information about such children received from any source. A district committee checks each case, the Collector gives the final approval, and the DEO maintains the beneficiary records. The application process is offline through the DEO office, while the department uses the Scholarship official portal for district-level data entry, eligible/ineligible lists, and renewal.

The Chhattisgarh government supports vulnerable children’s education through several schemes, including the Mahtari Dular Yojana for those who lost parents to COVID-19. Similarly, the Vishesh Shiksha Sahayata Yojana offers educational assistance to children of deceased registered construction workers, while the Mukhyamantri Naunihal Chatravriti Yojana provides annual scholarships of ₹1,000 to ₹10,000 to children of registered construction workers. Interested students can check the complete details of both the schemes here.

Scheme Benefits

The Mahtari Dular Yojana provides the following benefits to COVID-affected children, including free schooling, financial assistance, and academic support to help them continue their education.-

• Free education: Eligible children get free education in government schools of the state.
• Priority in Swami Atmanand schools: Eligible children get priority admission in Swami Atmanand English Medium Schools run by the state government.
• Full education cost: If both parents died of COVID-19, the government bears the entire cost of the child's education.
• Free education for single-parent loss: If the earning mother or father died, the child gets free education.
• Monthly scholarship: ₹500 per month for Class 1 to 8 and ₹1,000 per month for Class 9 to 12, for eligible students in government or recognised private schools.
• Private school fee paid by the government: Children studying in a private school for the past one year can continue there, and the state government pays their school fee.
• Choice of school: These children can also shift to a Swami Atmanand English Medium School as per their choice.
• Support for new private school admissions: The government pays the expense of newly admitted students in private schools up to a fixed maximum limit.
• Higher education support: The government encourages eligible students to pursue higher education after completing school.
• Coaching for professional courses: Meritorious students get training or coaching support for admission into professional courses.

Scholarship Amount Under Mahtari Dular Yojana

The scheme fixes the scholarship class-wise, and the state scholarship norms list the maximum annual amount for each group.

Private School Fee Under Mahtari Dular Yojana

The state government later amended the scheme to cover eligible children studying in private schools, and the rules differ for old and newly admitted students.

• Students already in a private school: Children who have been studying in a private school for the past one year can continue in the same school or join a Swami Atmanand English Medium School. In such cases, the state government bears their school fee.
• Newly admitted students: The government pays the private school expense up to the academic cost of a central government residential Navodaya or Eklavya school, or the actual expense of the private school, whichever is lower.
• Maximum limit: As per available information, the Tribal Development Department has indicated that the total annual cost per student in an Eklavya Model Residential School is ₹1,09,000. This amount is often referred to as the upper ceiling for private school fee reimbursement under the scheme.
• Approval: Fee reimbursement for private schools is generally approved by a committee headed by the District Collector, as per the state’s scholarship norms.

Eligibility Requirements

To receive benefits under the Mahtari Dular Yojana, a child must meet all the prescribed eligibility criteria.

• The child must be a resident of Chhattisgarh.
• The earning mother or father, or both parents, of the child must have died due to COVID-19.
• The child must meet the age eligibility for school education.
• The family must face a problem of livelihood because no earning adult member is left in the household.
• The child must study in a government school or a recognised private school in the state.

Note: The General Administration Department can relax the scheme's conditions when needed, and its decision is final in case of any dispute.

Required Documents

Applicants may be required to submit the following documents while applying for the scheme:

• Parent's Death Certificate mentioning death due to COVID-19
• Chhattisgarh Residence Certificate
• Child's Aadhaar Card
• School Certificate or Marksheet
• Bank Account Details for scholarship disbursement

Steps to Apply

The Mahtari Dular Yojana follows an offline application process. Eligible applicants must approach the District Education Officer (DEO) of their district and follow the step-by-step instructions below to complete the application process.

Method 1: Apply Directly to the District Education Officer

The student or guardian can submit the application directly to the DEO by following these steps:

• Visit the District Education Officer (DEO) office of your district.
• Ask about the current status of fresh applications under Mahtari Dular Yojana.
• Confirm the application format and the documents that the DEO office requires.
• Submit the application along with the documents at the DEO office.

Method 2: Information Through the District Collector

The scheme also allows the Collector to start the process when information about an eligible child reaches the administration.

• Anyone can share information about a COVID-orphaned child with the District Collector.
• The Collector forwards this information to the District Education Officer.
• The DEO then starts the verification process for the child.

Verification and Approval Process

After receiving the application, the district administration checks and approves each case in the following order:

• A district committee chaired by the DEO examines the application. The committee includes one officer each from the Health Department and the Social Welfare Department.
• The committee sends its recommendation to the District Collector.
• The Collector approves the case on the committee's recommendation.
• The DEO maintains a register of all beneficiary records, and the Collector reviews the scheme from time to time.

Renewal Process

Existing beneficiaries do not apply again; the department renews their benefits through the portal after district-level verification.

• Districts complete the data entry and upload certificates of existing beneficiaries on the portal.
• The Directorate then provides the renewal link for that district on the portal.
• For the 2025–26 session, the renewal link is available in 25 districts, including Kabirdham and Mungeli, which completed their entries recently.
• The department will open the portal for the current session's renewal after districts finish the pending work.

How to Check the Eligible/Ineligible List

The department publishes session-wise eligible and ineligible lists in the public section of the official portal, where applicants can easily check their status by following the steps below.

• Visit the official portal schoolscholarship.cg.nic.in.
• Open the Mahtari Dular Yojana section or the latest circulars on the homepage.
• Check the session-wise eligible/ineligible list for your district.
• Contact your DEO office for any correction or query about your case.

Relevant Links

• Chhattisgarh Mahtari Dular Yojana Notification
• Chhattisgarh Scholarship Portal

Contact Information

• Chhattisgarh Scholarship Portal Helpline Number: 0771-2511192
• Chhattisgarh Scholarship Portal Helpdesk Email: [email protected]