Free-ship Cards to Ease Admissions for New Students — ₹267.54 Crore Disbursed in 2024-25
Chandigarh, July 22:
Under the able leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is actively working towards the upliftment of all sections of society. In particular, the government is making dedicated efforts to bring Scheduled Caste (SC) students into the mainstream through educational empowerment. This was stated by Dr. Baljit Kaur, Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities.
Dr. Baljit Kaur announced that the Dr. Ambedkar Post-Matric Scholarship Portal is being opened for the academic year 2025-26 to facilitate the process of providing financial assistance to Scheduled Caste students. Eligible students will soon be able to submit their applications online through the portal.
The Minister informed that the government has set a target to benefit 2.70 lakh students under this scheme in 2025-26. Under the scheme, Free-ship Cards are issued to new students, allowing them to secure admission in affiliated institutions with exemption from tuition fees as per the prescribed norms.
She further informed that during 2024-25, the target was set at 2.60 lakh students, and a total of 2,60,015 applications were received through the portal. Out of these, 2,37,456 cases were found eligible, and the Punjab Government released ₹267.54 crore as its share towards the scholarship disbursement.
Dr. Baljit Kaur reiterated that the Punjab Government is fully committed to the educational, economic, and social development of SC students. Instructions have been issued to all district authorities, educational institutions, and implementing Departments to ensure that the scheme reaches the maximum number of students so that no eligible student is left out of the scholarship benefits.
