West Bengal Kanyaratna Education Grant Scheme

Scheme Introduction: A Brief Overview

The West Bengal Kanyaratna Education Grant Scheme is the new name given to the state's flagship girl-child scholarship programme, Kanyashree Prakalpa. The new name was announced by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on 14 August 2026 during the Kanyaratna Diwas. The scheme continues to focus on improving girls' access to education, providing financial support and discouraging early marriage.

Kanyashree Prakalpa was launched on 1 October 2013 to encourage girls, particularly those from economically disadvantaged families, to remain in education and delay marriage until adulthood. The programme provides financial assistance through two main components. Under K1, eligible girls receive an annual scholarship, while the K2 component provides a one-time grant to eligible girls who turn 18 and remain unmarried while continuing their education. Under the existing benefit structure, eligible beneficiaries receive ₹1,000 per year under K1 and a ₹25,000 one-time grant under K2, subject to the prescribed conditions.

Under the newly announced Kanyaratna Scheme, the government has decided to increase the financial support available to girl students. The annual K1 scholarship will increase from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000, while the one-time K2 grant will increase from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 from the next 2027 academic session. The current academic year's assistance, therefore, continues under the existing benefit structure, while the revised amounts will apply from the specified year.

For the current academic year, around 20.13 lakh girl students have received assistance under the existing benefit structure, with around ₹400 crore released by the West Bengal Government for the disbursement. The enhanced Kanyaratna assistance is expected to provide greater financial support as girls continue their studies and progress towards higher education.

The state also provides other education support opportunities for students who continue their studies after Class 12. Girls who secure more than 60% marks in the Higher Secondary examination may also be eligible for scholarship support under the Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means Scholarship, subject to its separate eligibility conditions. This provides an additional avenue of financial support for meritorious students pursuing higher education.

In addition, the West Bengal Budget 2026-27 announced ₹50,000 financial assistance for eligible unmarried girl students pursuing higher education. This support is intended to encourage girls to continue their studies after school and reduce financial barriers to higher education. Therefore, students and families looking for information on the Kanyaratna Scheme 2026 can find details about its eligibility, K1 and K2 benefits, upcoming changes, required documents and application process in the sections below.

Scheme Benefits

• Under the K1 component, eligible girls receive annual financial assistance of ₹1,000 to support their continued education.
• The annual K1 assistance will increase to ₹2,000 per year from 2027.
• Eligible unmarried girls pursuing higher education can receive a one-time financial assistance of ₹25,000.
• The one-time assistance will increase to ₹50,000 from the 2027 academic session.
• The financial assistance helps girls continue their studies and reduces financial barriers that may contribute to school dropout.
• The scheme encourages girls to remain in education and pursue higher studies after completing school.
• The scheme promotes delayed marriage by providing financial support to eligible girls who remain unmarried and continue their education.
• Girls securing more than 60% in Class 12 may be eligible for the Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means Scholarship, subject to its eligibility conditions.
• The assistance is provided through the prescribed bank account-based payment system after verification of the beneficiary's eligibility.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicant must be a permanent resident of West Bengal.
• Applicant must be an unmarried girl aged 13 to 18 years, studying in Class VIII or above, to receive the annual scholarship.
• Applicant with 40% or more disability is exempted from the Class VIII condition.
• Applicant must be an unmarried girl aged 18 to 19 years, continuing education, occupational training, or sports training, to receive the one-time grant.
• No family income limit applies to the scheme. The earlier annual family income ceiling of ₹1,20,000 was withdrawn from Kanyashree Year 2018-19.

Additional Scholarship: Girls securing more than 60% marks in Class 12 may also be eligible for the Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means Scholarship, subject to its separate eligibility conditions.

Required Documents

Applicants need to provide the prescribed documents and information for verification under the Kanyaratna Scheme. The concerned educational institution verifies the applicant's details before processing the application.

• Proof of date of birth.
• Educational or enrolment-related proof, wherever required.
• Bank account details of the girl applicant.
• Prescribed application form.
• Prescribed declaration confirming the applicant's unmarried status, wherever applicable.
• Any other document prescribed by the concerned educational institution for verification.

Steps to Apply

Eligible girls can apply for the Kanyaratna Scheme through their respective educational institutions. The institution plays an important role in collecting applications, verifying applicants' details, and processing benefits under the prescribed system.

1. Eligible girls should contact the concerned school, college or other eligible educational institution where they are enrolled.
2. Obtain the prescribed Kanyaratna application form from the institution.
3. Fill in the application form with the required personal, educational and bank account details.
4. Attach the required supporting documents and declarations with the application form.
5. Submit the completed application form and documents to the concerned educational institution.
6. The institution will verify the applicant's details and supporting documents.
7. After successful verification, the institution will process the application through the prescribed Kanyaratna system.
8. Once the application is approved, the eligible financial assistance will be transferred to the beneficiary's bank account through the prescribed payment mechanism.

Note: The application process shared above is based on the process followed under the earlier Kanyashree Prakalpa guidelines. As the scheme has now been renamed Kanyaratna, the application procedure may be revised by the West Bengal Government. We will update this section if the government issues any new instructions or changes the application process.

Important Forms

• West Bengal Kanyaratna (Kanyashree Prakalpa) Scheme Application Form for Annual Scholarship (K1).
• West Bengal Kanyaratna (Kanyashree Prakalpa) Scheme Application Form for One Time Grant (K2).
• West Bengal Kanyaratna (Kanyashree Prakalpa) Scheme Bank Account Opening Form (Replica).
• West Bengal Kanyaratna (Kanyashree Prakalpa) Scheme Physical Verification Form (Replica).
• West Bengal Kanyaratna (Kanyashree Prakalpa) Scheme Identity Card (Replica).
• West Bengal Kanyaratna (Kanyashree Prakalpa) Scheme Certificate (Replica).

Relevant Links

• West Bengal Women and Child Development Department
• West Bengal Kanyaratna (Kanyashree Prakalpa) Scheme Guidelines.

Contact Information

• For more details, visit your institution or Women and Child Development Department Office.