Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana (Scholarship For Promotion Of Aptitude & Research In Stamps As A Hobby)

The Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications has launched a Scholarship Scheme called "Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana" to award children in the class category of Standard 6th to 9th. It is proposed to award annual scholarships to students who have good academic records and are also pursuing 'Philately' as a hobby. The objective of the scholarship is to “Promote Philately among children at a young age in a sustainable manner that can reinforce and supplement the academic curriculum in addition to providing a hobby that can help them relax and de-stress”.

Number of Scholarships

1. 920 scholarships will be awarded to students at the PAN India level.
2. Every Postal Circle will give a maximum of 40 scholarships to 10 students each from Standard 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th.

Amount of Scholarship

1. The amount of the Scholarship is to be ₹ 6,000/- per annum @ ₹ 500/- per month.
2. IPPB/POSB will ensure that the scholarship is paid to awardees on a quarterly basis (Rs. 1500/- each quarter) after getting the list from each Circle.

Renewability

1. Selections to the scholarship would be for one year.
2. An already selected student can apply for the scholarship next year provided he/she fulfils other criteria.

Mentor

1. Every prospective school which participates in the competition would be assigned a Philately Mentor to be chosen from amongst the renowned Philatelist.
2. The Philately Mentor would help in the formation of the School level Philately Club, providing guidance to young and aspiring Philatelists on how to pursue the hobby and also helping the aspiring Philatelists with their Philately Projects etc.

1. The applicant should be a regular student of Class 6th-9th.
2. The applicant should be studying in a recognized school in India.
3. The school should have a Philately Club and the candidate should be a member of that Club. In case the School Philately Club hasn't been established, a student having his own Philately Deposit Account may also be considered.
4. The applicant should have scored at least 60% marks or equivalent grade/ grade point in the recent final examination.

Relaxation
There will be a 5% relaxation for SC/ST.

Offline

Application

Step 1: The applicant should download the Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana application form.
Step 2: The applicant should duly fill in all the mandatory fields in the application form and attach the required documents (self-attest if required).
Step 3: The candidates should enclose the application form and the required documents and send it through a registered post, speed post or submit it in person to the concerned Regional Head / Divisional Gead.
NOTE: The schools can also apply for the Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana on behalf of the students. The applications of all the interested candidates of a school can be sent in one envelope by the school in-charge/head by Post or by Hand.

Further Processes

Step 1: Every Postal Circle will conduct a Philately Quiz. The list of topics on which the project has to be made would be provided by the circles while issuing the notifications.
Step 2: The Project work on Philately submitted by the candidate will be evaluated by a committee constituted at the circle level consisting of Postal Officials and renowned Philatelists.
Step 3: Each Postal Circle will select the awardees and hand over the list of beneficiaries to IPPB/POSB for payment of the scholarship.
Step 4: The awardees will be asked to open a Joint account with parents in India Post Payment Bank or Post Office Savings Bank in a branch, which has a core banking facility.