Kanyashree Prakalpa Scheme was introduced by the Department of Women Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal. The United Nations has awarded the West Bengal the first place for public service on account of the Kanyashree Prakalpa scheme. The key objective of Kanyashree Prakalpa is to improve the status of girl child in the state by incentivizing schooling of all teenage girls and preventing their early marriages. In this article, we look at the Kanyashree Prakalpa scheme in detail.
The objective of the Kanyashree Prakalpa Scheme are as follows:
Annual Scholarship:Annual scholarship to be paid to the girls from the age of 13 to 18, for every year. It helps to ensure that the girls remain in school and unmarried at the time.
On-time Grant: Under the Kanyashree Prakalpa Scheme, the one-time grant will be paid to girls between the age of 18 and 19.
Scholarship Amount for Kanyashree Prakalpa is as below:
| Sl.No | Kanyashree Scholarship |
| 1 | Annual scholarship – K1 |
| 2 | One‐Time Grant – K2 |
On July 28th, 2017 the Honourable Chief Minister of West Bengal announced that Kanyashree K3 for girl students currently studying at any University. This K3 scholarship will help the girl students to pursue her higher studies.
Eligibility Criteria for K3
1. Students registered for K2 scheme are only eligible for K3 scheme
To apply the Kanyashree K3 scheme, students have to pass an Undergraduate degree with at least 45% marks and took admission on any Postgraduate course under any University. Here in the colleges, K2 is mainly applicable.
The eligibility criteria for a one-time grant under the Kanyashree Prakalpa Scheme are below for reference:
Below mentioned documents are necessary at the time of application:
Eligible students can apply for Kanyashree Prakalpa Scheme by following method. Before applying for Kanyashree Prakalpa, eligible girls should open a bank account in their name.
Step 1: Eligible girl student has to collect the application form from the respective educational institution.
Step 2: Fill the following details to get the scholarship
Personal Details
Address
Educational Institution Address
Step 3: The applicant should sign on the application form and also get their parent’s signature. Apply along with documents to the respective educational institution.
Step 4: Head of Department will verify the details furnished by the students and put an official stamp.
Step 5: Obtain acknowledgement slip and keep application number for future reference.
Step 6: After the successful submission of the application form, all details will be uploaded on the official webpage of Kanyashree.
Check Status of Kanyashree Prakalpa Application
To get the status of Kanyashree Prakalpa application, follow the below-mentioned steps:
Step 1: Visit the home page of the Kanyashree Prakalpa web portal.
Step 2: Click on Track Application option from the main page.
Step 3: Select the year and type of the scheme from the drop-down menu.
Step 4: Enter the date of birth and Application ID and captcha image.
Step 5: Click on submit
It will display the status of the application.
Payment Mode:
The Annual scholarship or one-time grant will be paid to the beneficiaries by way of fund transfer through a bank account. After the approval of the application, the applicant will receive help in the opening and operating a bank account by the banking partner. The applicant can open the bank account in any of the Scheduled Bank as per the Second Schedule of Reserve bank of India Act.
Renewal of Annual Scholarship:
The procedures for applications of renewal scholarships will be the same as for new applications. All documents except income certificate are to be provided for renewal. All documents and application will be scrutinized and verified as directed above.
| Sl No. | Name of Scholarship | Provider Name | Application Period* |
| 1 | Swami Vivekananda Merit Cum Means Scholarship for Minorities, West Bengal | Government of West Bengal | September to March |
| 2 | Bigyani Kanya Medha Britti Scholarship, West Bengal | Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS), Kolkata | May to July |
| 3 | West Bengal Post-Matric Scholarship for SC/ST/OBC | Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government September to November of West Bengal | September to November |
| 4 | West Bengal Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC ST Students | Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal | September to November |
| 5 | Hindi Scholarship Scheme, West Bengal | Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology and Biotechnology, Government of West Bengal | October to December |
West Bengal Scholarships are meant for students who are domicile of the state at both school and college level. Run by the government of West Bengal and its subsidiary departments, the scholarships for West Bengal aim at supporting meritorious, deserving and underprivileged students of the state. Furthermore, the state also boasts various reputed institutions of higher education like Indian Institute of Management (Kolkata), Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (Kolkata) and National Institute of Technology (Durgapur) which makes the education for students of West Bengal easier and hassle-free.
Swami Vivekananda Merit Cum Means Scholarship for Minorities, West Bengal
This is one of the most popular merit-cum-means based scholarships for students of West Bengal that covers your studies from class 11 onwards. Applicable only for minority community students, this scholarship offers financial assistance of up to INR 8000 per month depending on the course or level of study you are pursuing. This scholarship is disbursed to students considering their academic merit and financial need.
Bigyani Kanya Medha Britti Scholarship, West Bengal
This scholarship is exclusively meant for girl students who have passed class 12th from any board and are currently pursuing an undergraduate degree programme in Basic Science/Medicine/Engineering at any institute of West Bengal. The objective of this programme is to promote girl’s higher education and conserve their scientific talent. The girl students residing in West Bengal are eligible to apply for this scholarship. The selected students will receive a sum of INR 3000 per month. In addition to this, the scholarship also comprises an annual book grant of INR 2000.
West Bengal Post-Matric Scholarship for SC/ST/OBC
Functional under the Backward Classes Welfare Department, this scholarship for West Bengal students runs with an objective to provide financial assistance to SC/ST/OBC students studying in post matriculation or post-secondary level to enable them to complete their education. Students of class 11th, 12th, graduation and post-graduation are eligible for this scholarship. The amount of scholarship that you can receive under this programme may range from INR 160 to INR 1200.
West Bengal Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC ST Students
Implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India and run by the Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal, this is a centrally sponsored Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC and ST students studying in class 9th and 10th. The scholarship offers variable financial assistance ranging from INR 150 per month to INR 750 per month. Also, the selected scholars get an additional adhoc grant of up to INR 1000 per annum.
Hindi Scholarship Scheme, West Bengal
In order to promote and encourage the study of Hindi language in non-Hindi speaking state like West Bengal, this scholarship offers financial assistance to students studying in higher secondary, undergraduate, postgraduate and research level programmes (M.Phil., PhD or M Lit. etc). Students who have passed the Madhyamik, higher secondary, graduation, post-graduation or any other equivalent degree can apply for this scholarship to stand a chance to win variable awards ranging from INR 300 per month to INR 1000 per month.
Key eligibility:
Though every scholarship has its own set of pre-defined eligibility criteria, the key condition to be eligible for West Bengal scholarships is that you should be a permanent resident of West Bengal state or be a domicile of the state. Besides this, there are several other criterions too that you need to follow concerning your academic qualification, academic merit, financial need, etc. These criterions may differ from scholarship to scholarship.
| Sl No. | Scholarship name | Eligibility |
| 1 | Swami Vivekananda Merit Cum Means Scholarship for Minorities, West Bengal | You must be a domicile of West Bengal. If studying at the higher secondary level or diploma, you must have scored at least 75% marks in class 10th. If studying at undergraduate level, you must have scored at least 75% marks in class 12th. If studying at PG level, you must have scored at least 53% marks in graduation (for general education) or 55% marks (in case of engineering) The annual family income of your family should not exceed INR 2.5 Lakh. |
| 2 | Bigyani Kanya Medha Britti Scholarship, West Bengal | You must be a girl student with a domicile of West Bengal. You should have passed class 12th from any board and must be studying Engineering, Medicine or Basic Science at a reputed institution in West Bengal. |
| 3 | West Bengal Post-Matric Scholarship for SC/ST/OBC | You should have a domicile of West Bengal and belong to SC/ST/OBC category. You must be studying in Class 11, 12, Graduation or Postgraduation. The family income for SC/ST students should not exceed INR 2 Lakh to INR 2.5 Lakh per annum. The family income for OBC students should not exceed INR 1 Lakh per annum. |
| 4 | West Bengal Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC ST Students | Having a domicile of West Bengal is mandatory. You should belong to SC or ST category. You must be currently a student of class 9 or 10. The annual income of the family should not exceed INR 2 Lakh per annum from all sources. |
| 5 | Hindi Scholarship Scheme, West Bengal | You should belong to a non-Hindi speaking state. You must be a resident of West Bengal. You should have passed the madhyamik, higher secondary, graduation, PG or any equivalent degree course. You must have scored at least 60% marks in the previous qualifying examination in the first attempt with Hindi as one of the subjects. |
How can you apply:
Once you are clear of the eligibility criteria that you need to fulfil, you can proceed further to apply for the respective scholarship. Of course, every scholarship has its distinctive approach towards application. While some scholarships invite applications offline through post or by hand, many scholarship providers have adopted the online approach towards application. In fact, the Government of West Bengal also operates its distinctive scholarship portal named OASIS Scholarship Portal for the convenience of students. Find out how can you apply for the West Bengal scholarships in the table given below.
Detailed Application Procedure of West Bengal Scholarship
| Sl No. | Scholarship name | How to apply |
| 1 | Swami Vivekananda Merit Cum Means Scholarship for Minorities, West Bengal | Apply online through West Bengal Minorities Development & Finance Corporation’s online portal for Swami Vivekanand Scholarship |
| 2 | Bigyani Kanya Medha Britti Scholarship, West Bengal | Apply through JBNSTS, Kolkata |
| 3 | West Bengal Post-Matric Scholarship for SC/ST/OBC | Apply online through OASIS scholarship portal |
| 4 | West Bengal Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC ST Students | Apply online through OASIS scholarship portal |
| 5 | Hindi Scholarship Scheme, West Bengal | Apply offline through -Scholarship & Stipend Section of Education, Directorate, West Bengal, Bikash Bhaban, North Block, 9tn Floor, Bidhannagar, Kolkata-700091 |