Maharashtra Eklavya Scholarship Scheme

Scheme Introduction: A Brief Overview

The Maharashtra Eklavya Scholarship, officially known as the Eklavya Financial Assistance Scheme (Ekalavya Arthik Sahayya Yojana), is a state government scholarship designed for meritorious students from economically weaker families who wish to pursue postgraduate studies. The scheme is implemented by the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE), Maharashtra, and remains open to students of all categories, subject to the prescribed eligibility conditions.

The Government of Maharashtra introduced this scheme to address a common challenge: many academically bright students discontinue higher education after graduation because their families cannot afford the cost of postgraduate studies. The Eklavya Scholarship bridges this gap by rewarding academic merit and providing financial support so that economic constraints do not prevent eligible students from completing a postgraduate degree.

Under the Ekalavya Arthik Sahayya Yojana, every selected student receives an annual scholarship of ₹5,000. Scholarship holders are also eligible for the fee waiver concession as per the applicable rules. To qualify, a student must have secured at least 60% marks in graduation in Arts, Commerce, Law, or Education streams, or at least 70% marks in the Science stream, and must have taken admission to a regular postgraduate course. The annual income of the parents must not exceed ₹75,000, and the student must be a resident of Maharashtra. Beneficiaries are selected purely based on merit.

The Eklavya Scholarship also allows renewal for the second year of the postgraduate course. Students who score a minimum of 50% marks in the first year and maintain at least 75% attendance can renew the scholarship using their previous year's Application ID. Both fresh and renewal applications are accepted only online through the Aaple Sarkar DBT (MahaDBT) portal. Once approved, the scholarship amount is transferred directly to the beneficiary's Aadhaar-seeded bank account.

The Maharashtra Government also runs the Maharashtra Vidyarthi Vigyan Vari Scheme and the Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulk Scholarship Scheme. The Vidyarthi Vigyan Vari Scheme provides educational exposure visits to science centres, ISRO, and NASA for meritorious school students, while the Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulk Scholarship offers tuition and examination fee assistance to eligible students from economically weaker sections.

Scheme Benefits

The Eklavya Scholarship gives direct financial support and a fee concession to selected postgraduate students, as listed below:

• Scholarship amount: ₹5,000 per year to every sanctioned beneficiary.
• Fee waiver: Scholarship holders remain eligible for the fee waiver concession.
• Renewal support: Students can continue the scholarship in the second year of the PG course by meeting the renewal conditions.
• DBT payment: The amount reaches the student's Aadhaar-seeded bank account through Aaple Sarkar DBT.
• Open to all: Students of every category can apply.
• Merit-based selection: The department selects beneficiaries based on merit.

Eligibility Requirements

A student must meet all the following conditions before applying for the Eklavya Financial Assistance Scheme.

• The student must be a resident of Maharashtra.
• The student must have taken admission to a regular postgraduate course.
• At least 60% in Arts, Commerce, Law, or Education, and at least 70% in Science.
• The parents' annual income must be ₹75,000 or less.
• The student must not be working anywhere.
• The student must maintain at least 75% regular attendance.
• The scheme applies to students of all categories.

Renewal Eligibility

Existing beneficiaries can renew the scholarship for the next year if they meet these conditions:

• The student must secure at least 50% marks in the first year of the postgraduate course.
• The student must continue to maintain 75% attendance and submit an attendance certificate.
• The student must apply using the previous year's Application ID.

Who Is Not Eligible?

The official scheme conditions clearly exclude the following students under the Eklavya Scholarship:

• Students pursuing B.Ed. training courses, M.Phil., Ph.D., or similar courses.
• Students enrolled in part-time courses.
• Maharashtra students who are studying outside Maharashtra.
• Students who are employed in a job.
• Students already receiving any other Central or State Government scholarship. Once the Eklavya Scholarship is sanctioned, the student cannot take another government scholarship.
• Students whose parents' annual income exceeds ₹75,000.

Required Documents

• Domicile certificate issued by the competent authority.
• Income certificate of the financial year preceding the academic year, issued by the Tahsildar or competent authority.
• Previous year's marksheet.
• Attendance certificate (for renewal applications only).

Steps to Apply

The Eklavya Scholarship application process is completely online; students can submit both fresh and renewal applications on the MahaDBT portal. To apply, follow the steps given below.

How to Apply for a Fresh Eklavya Scholarship

New applicants can follow these steps to complete the application process for the Fresh Eklavya Scholarship: 

• Visit the official MahaDBT portal.
• Register as a new applicant, or log in if you already have an account.
• If you are a new user, click on the "Register" option and enter your Aadhaar number.
• Click on "Send OTP" and complete the OTP verification process.
• Complete or update your applicant profile with personal, address, income, and educational details.
• After registration, log in to the MahaDBT portal using your MahaDBT ID/Maha ID and password.
• Open the list of schemes and select the Eklavya Scholarship under the Directorate of Higher Education.
• Enter your graduation marks, current postgraduate course details, income, and other required information.
• Upload the domicile certificate, income certificate, and previous year's marksheet.
• Check all details carefully and submit the application.
• Save or print the acknowledgement and note down your Application ID for renewal and future reference.

How to Renew the Eklavya Scholarship

Students who received the scholarship in the first year of their PG course can renew it this way:

• Log in to the MahaDBT portal with your existing credentials.
• Choose the renewal option for the Eklavya Scholarship using your previous year's Application ID.
• Update your first-year PG marks (minimum 50%) and other changed details.
• Upload the attendance certificate along with the other required documents.
• Submit the renewal application and keep the acknowledgement safe.

Verification and Approval Process

After submission, the application passes through a verification chain before the payment is released:

• Your college/institute checks the application and documents.
• The concerned department then scrutinises and approves eligible applications on merit.
• On sanction, the government transfers ₹5,000 to your Aadhaar-seeded bank account through DBT.

Relevant Links

• Maharashtra Eklavya Scholarship Scheme Registration
• Maharashtra Eklavya Scholarship Login
• MahaDBT2, Maharashtra Portal
• Directorate of Higher Education (DHE), Maharashtra
• Guidelines of Maharashtra Eklavya Scholarship

Contact Information

• MahaDBT2, Maharashtra Portal Helpline Number: 022-49150800
• Directorate of Higher Education (DHE), Maharashtra Helpline Number: 020-26122119
• DHE, Maharashtra Helpdesk Email: [email protected]