Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently disbursed scholarships worth INR 116 crore to students from government and government-aided schools in Grades 9 to 12 under the Namo Laxmi and Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana schemes. The significant event was graced by Gujarat’s Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, Education Minister Shri Kuber Dindor, Minister of State for Education Shri Praful Pansheriya, and other prominent ministers and officials.
The Namo Laxmi scholarship scheme, aimed at reducing dropout rates among girls in higher secondary education, benefits over 1.1 million girl students across Gujarat. Through this initiative, girls in Grades 9 and 10 receive INR 500 per month for 10 months and additional INR 10,000 on clearing board examinations, while those in Grades 11 and 12 are granted INR 750 per month for 10 months and additional INR 15,000 on clearing board examinations. Overall, girl students can receive up to INR 50,000 over a period of four years, for supporting their education from Grades 9 to 12. This scheme incentivises girls to pursue higher education, empowering them to become self-reliant and financially independent in the future.
Similarly, the Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana scheme, which promotes science education, provides INR 1,000 per month to over 250,000 students in Grades 11 and 12. This initiative encourages enrollment in science streams to develop a skilled technical workforce, supporting the Viksit Bharat vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet the needs of India’s growing manufacturing sector.
Since the launch of the Namo Laxmi scheme, approximately a 6% increase in school enrollments has been observed for girl students in Grades 9 to 12 from the academic year 2023-2024 to 2024-2025. Similarly, the Namo Saraswati scholarship scheme has led to approximately a 10% increase in the percentage of students opting for science streams in Grades 11 to 12.
Since June 2024, approximately INR 157 crore out of the budgeted INR 1,250 crore has been disbursed for the Namo Laxmi scheme, while INR 46 crore out of the budgeted INR 250 crore has been disbursed for the Namo Saraswati scheme. Both scholarship schemes serve as a vital incentive for students to continue their education, maintain regular school attendance, and excel academically. To motivate students, only students with over 80% attendance receive scholarships directly into their or their mothers’ bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) every month. The scholarship application and verification system, powered by SwiftChat App by ConveGenius.AI, enables real-time tracking and validation of student attendance, leveraging continuous data monitoring under the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) in Gujarat.
In his address, Shri Amit Shah reflected on Gujarat’s impressive transformation in education, noting that before the early 2000s, the school enrollment rate stood at 66%, with a dropout rate of 37%. He credited the progress since then to Shri Narendra Modi’s initiatives during his tenure as Gujarat’s Chief Minister and later as Prime Minister. Initiatives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and the establishment of the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) have played a pivotal role in improving enrollment rates and significantly reducing dropout levels.
The Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) is crucial in integrating technology with education management by offering real-time data monitoring. This system provides education officials and bureaucrats with timely insights through comprehensive dashboards, allowing them to identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions that enhance the effectiveness of educational programs.
The seamless integration of VSK and the SwiftChat app by ConveGenius.AI has established a robust real-time educational data monitoring mechanism. This transparent and efficient model has accelerated the scholarship disbursement process, reinforcing the government’s commitment to driving continuous educational improvement through advanced technology.
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