The Delhi government is preparing to reintroduce the Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana, a scheme that offers free coaching to aspirants pursuing medical, engineering, and civil services careers. The revamped scheme will include additional competitive exams for which eligible students can receive free coaching.
Revised Scheme Awaits Cabinet Approval
Delhi’s Minister for SC and ST Welfare, Raaj Kumar Anand, announced that the redesigned scheme is almost ready and will soon be presented to the Cabinet for approval. The Yojana was initially launched in 2018 to provide free coaching to students from SC, ST, OBC, and EWS categories, allowing them to prepare for entrance exams in professional fields like engineering, medical, law, and competitive exams for jobs such as civil services and banking.
Stipend Support
As part of the scheme, the Delhi government provided a monthly stipend of Rs 2,500 to students. This stipend was aimed at helping them cover transportation costs to coaching centers and purchase essential books and stationery. The scheme initially trained nearly 5,000 students in one batch, but it had to be halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Restart and Challenges
The scheme was relaunched in November 2021, and approximately 13,000 students registered for free coaching. However, institutes temporarily ceased classes when the government faced payment delays. To address this issue, the government conducted physical verifications of students who had attended coaching classes before making payments.
Streamlined Payment System
The redesigned scheme incorporates changes to streamline payment to coaching institutes. Payments to coaching centers will be made every six months after the verification of students’ records. Additionally, students will receive stipends on a quarterly basis. The government also plans to add more competitive exams for which coaching will be provided.
Incentives for Multi-Tier Competitions
To motivate students to work harder and continue their studies, the government intends to offer incentives for clearing different levels of competitive exams within multi-tier competitions.
Selection of Reputed Coaching Institutes
The government plans to initiate the registration process for coaching institutes and students following the scheme’s notification. Only reputable coaching institutes will be registered to ensure that students from disadvantaged sections of society receive the best possible training.
