PANAJI
Almost 4,000 girls from Goa's tribal communities, precisely 3,856, have availed the benefit of a scholarship scheme run by the State government's tribal welfare department which entitles them to a fixed deposit of Rs 25,000 which is locked in against their names when they are studying in Class X and the maturity amount is available to them when they clear their Higher Secondary School Certificate Examination (HSSCE).
The scheme -- Vidya Laxmi -- is administered by the Tribal Welfare Department and the government spent close to ten crore rupees in the five years since 2020-21. It aims to encourage tribal girls to pursue higher education, including professional courses.
The scholarship scheme ensures that the beneficiary girl student from the tribal community gets a fixed deposit in her name for Rs 25,000 no sooner she clears her SSC exam, according to a senior official of the Tribal Welfare Department.
On clearing class IX and while studying in Class X, a fixed deposit account for Rs. 25,000 is opened and the money is available to them after passing Class XII (HSSCE) which comes in handy to fund their higher education, the official added.
However, there are a few pre-conditions -- one, they must clear class XII in a maximum of three attempts, and two, the first attempt must be within two years. Also, the annual family income of the beneficiary child must be under Rs 3 lakh.
A beneficiary will forfeit all the money and the amount will be deposited back into the government coffers if any of these conditions are not fulfilled or if they drop out from school, the official added.
The scheme has thus far benefited 3856 tribal girl students since 2020-21. However, data about the scheme shows that there is a slight drop in the number of beneficiaries this year (2024-25) when only 691 availed of the scheme.
In each of the previous four years in the five-year period since 2020-21, the beneficiary list had tipped the 750 mark, even crossing the 800 mark in 2021-22.
