The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (DoSJE) has introduced key reforms and digital initiatives to make scholarship schemes more accessible and user-friendly for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) students.

In a major relief for applicants, the department has removed the requirement of submitting a domicile certificate while applying for scholarship schemes. The move is expected to reduce documentation, lower compliance costs, and simplify the application process, particularly benefiting students studying outside their home states.

Under the Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes for SC and OBC students, nearly 1.2 crore students receive financial assistance annually. The removal of the domicile certificate requirement is aimed at ensuring easier and faster access to these benefits.

To further strengthen digital governance, the department has launched SETU (Scholarship for Educational Transformation and Upliftment) on the UMANG platform. The new system offers a unified interface for students, institutional nodal officers, district authorities, and state officials to manage scholarship applications, tracking, verification, and related services.

The initiatives are part of the government's broader efforts to enhance inclusion, reduce procedural hurdles, improve transparency, and ensure efficient delivery of welfare schemes through technology-driven solutions.