Free coaching scheme extended to OBC, gen category students

New Delhi: The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday decided to include other backward class and general category students in its 'Jai Bheem Mukhyamantri Yojana', and enhance financial assistance from Rs 40,000 to Rs one lakh for coaching for various competitive exams. Briefing reporters on the Cabinet decisions, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that earlier, the scheme was only for the scheduled caste category students under which financial assistance of up to Rs 40,000 would be provided.

The move comes at a time when only a few months are left for the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled to be held early next year. According to Kejriwal, a civil service aspirant will be provided Rs one lakh financial assistance for 12-month coaching. He said an applicant whose annual family income is less than Rs eight lakh will be able to avail the scheme.

To avail the scheme, the student must be from Delhi and "should have passed Class X and XII from Delhi," Kejriwal said.

"On the one hand we have made education completely free till class XII and on the other hand we have completely changed the picture of government schools, these used to be in very bad condition earlier, and now these schools shine," said Kejriwal.

The Chief Minister said for the higher education, the Delhi government now provides a loan of upto Rs 10 lakh for college education and in a way the children do not need to bother their parents for their higher studies. "Today is the age of cut throat competition and children require coaching for getting admission in good engineering and medical colleges. Children born in poor families are also very intelligent, but in the absence of resources for coaching they are left behind, and only those with sufficient economic resources have access to coaching," the Chief Minister said.

Kejriwal said the Delhi government is committed to ensure that no child is denied coaching for competitive exams due to lack of financial resources.

It was for this very reason that the Delhi government had launched Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana a year back. Earlier, thirty-five underprivileged students, who got free coaching under the scheme, cracked the JEE Main and NEET examination this year. Five of them secured admissions to leading technical and medical institutions such as Lady Hardinge College, IIT-Delhi, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, National Institute of Technology Delhi and Banaras Hindu University.