Govt removes caste, income restrictions for free coaching under PM-CARES

The government has introduced an updated scheme to provide high-quality coaching to children covered under the PM CARES scheme along with students from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Originally launched during the Sixth Five-Year Plan, the free coaching scheme has undergone multiple revisions over the years to enhance its effectiveness.

The latest update extends its benefits to PM CARES beneficiaries, removing caste and income-related restrictions for these students.

Under the scheme, students will receive coaching for a wide range of competitive examinations, according to the guidelines of the updated scheme.

These include Civil Services examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and State Public Service Commissions, as well as officer-grade recruitment tests for banks, insurance companies, and public sector undertakings (PSUs).

Additionally, the scheme covers entrance exams for premier institutions in fields such as engineering (IIT-JEE), medicine (NEET), management (CAT), and law (CLAT). Students aspiring for international studies will also receive coaching for standardized tests like GRE, GMAT, IELTS, TOEFL, and SAT.

Furthermore, coaching will be provided for defence-related examinations such as those for the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Combined Defence Services (CDS).

A total of 3,500 students will be selected annually under this scheme.

Among these, 70 per cent of the seats will be allocated to SC students, while 30 per cent will be reserved for OBC students. Additionally, 30 per cent of the total seats in each category will be reserved for female candidates.

If there are not enough female applicants in any category, the remaining seats will be filled by male candidates from the same category.

In the case of PM CARES beneficiaries, there will be no limit on the number of students admitted under the scheme.

To be eligible for the scheme, SC and OBC students must come from families with an annual income of Rs 8 lakh or less.

Applicants must also have scored at least 50 per cent in their previous board examinations to qualify.

The selection process will be conducted online, with Central Universities empanelled under the scheme reviewing applications and preparing a merit-based shortlist. However, students covered under the PM CARES scheme will not be subject to the selection process and will be granted direct admission.

The government will fully cover the coaching fees for students, which will range from Rs 20,000 to Rs 75,000, depending on the course.

Additionally, students will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 4,000 for up to 12 months to assist with their expenses.

To further support candidates who pass the mains stage of Civil Services and State Services exams, an additional Rs 15,000 will be provided to help them prepare for interviews, the guidelines said.

The implementation of the scheme will be overseen by the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation (DAF) in collaboration with Central Universities. Coaching centres under this initiative will operate under the Dr. Ambedkar Centre of Excellence (DACE).

Each participating university must enrol a minimum of 50 students, with no more than four different courses being offered per institution.

To ensure the smooth execution of the scheme, all coaching institutions must maintain biometric attendance records of students and submit monthly progress reports.

Additionally, the government will establish an Online Learning Management System for monitoring and knowledge sharing among different universities.

This system will also facilitate the verification of faculty, attendance tracking, and the uploading of study materials and recorded lectures. Institutions that fail to meet the expected performance benchmarkssuch as success rates in competitive examsmay face discontinuation of funding or removal from the scheme.