**Executive Summary**
The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (DoSJE) announced major reforms on June 19, 2026, to streamline scholarship access for approximately 1.2 crore Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes students. Key measures include the removal of the Domicile Certificate requirement and the launch of the SETU portal on the UMANG platform. These initiatives aim to reduce procedural barriers, lower compliance costs, and improve the transparency of scholarship delivery.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Reform in Documentation Requirements**
* The mandatory requirement for a Domicile Certificate when applying for scholarship schemes has been dispensed with.
* This change applies specifically to Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes for SCs and OBCs.
* The reform is designed to simplify the application process for students, particularly those studying in institutions located outside their home states.
**Digital Governance and SETU Portal**
* The Department launched the SETU (Scholarship for Educational Transformation and Upliftment) portal on the UMANG platform.
* SETU serves as a comprehensive digital solution and a single interface for all scholarship-related services.
* The platform supports application registration, tracking, and validation for applicants and administrative officials.
**Administrative and Strategic Goals**
* The initiatives aim to reduce the compliance burden and documentation requirements for over 1.2 crore annual beneficiaries.
* The reforms are intended to enhance outreach, transparency, and efficiency in the delivery of welfare schemes.
* The Department is leveraging technology-driven solutions to ensure timely support and promote social inclusion.
**Impact Analysis**
**SC and Backward Classes Students**
**Impact**
Students will experience a significantly reduced compliance burden due to the removal of the Domicile Certificate requirement. The application process will be more student-friendly, especially for those studying across state borders.
**Action Required**
Eligible students should apply for Pre-Matric and Post-Matric scholarships through the SETU portal on the UMANG platform without providing a domicile certificate.
**Institutional, District, and State Nodal Officers**
**Impact**
Administrative officials gain a centralized interface for streamlined registration, tracking, and validation of scholarship applications.
**Action Required**
Nodal officers must utilize the SETU platform on UMANG for all official scholarship processing, validation, and tracking tasks.
Key Entities Referenced
Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (DoSJE): The primary government department responsible for implementing reforms and digital initiatives to simplify scholarship access for SC and OBC students.
Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes for SCs and OBCs: Welfare programs benefitting approximately 1.2 crore students annually, which have been reformed by removing the domicile certificate requirement.
SETU (Scholarship for Educational Transformation and Upliftment): A digital portal launched to provide a single interface for scholarship-related services, including application registration, tracking, and validation.
UMANG Platform: The unified digital governance platform on which the SETU portal has been launched to enhance transparency and efficiency in scholarship delivery.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
DoSJE introduces Key Reforms and Digital
Initiatives to Simplify Scholarship Access
Zero Domicile Certificate Requirement to Slash Compliance
Burden for 1.2 Crore Students
SETU Portal Launched on UMANG Platform to Revolutionize
Digital Scholarship Governance
प्रव तथ: 19 JUN 2026 12:10PM by PIB Delhi
The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (DoSJE), Government of India, has undertaken major
reforms and digital initiatives to improve accessibility and streamline scholarship processes for Scheduled
Caste (SC) and Backward Classes students.
In a key reform measure, the requirement for submission of Domicile Certificate for applying under the
scholarship schemes has been dispensed with. This step is expected to reduce the compliance burden on
students and simplify the application process, enabling easier access to benefits. This will also benefit
thousands of eligible applicants across the country who study in institutions other than their States.
Under the Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes for SCs and OBCs, nearly 1.2 crore students
receive scholarship benefits annually. Until now, domicile certificate was an essential requirement under
these schemes. The removal of this requirement is expected to make the application process more student-
friendly by reducing documentation requirements, lowering compliance costs, and facilitating easier
access to scholarship benefits.
Further strengthening digital governance, the Department has launched SETU (Scholarship for
Educational Transformation and Upliftment) on the UMANG platform as a comprehensive solution for
scholarship-related services. The platform provides a single interface to the eligible applicants,
Institutional Nodal Officers, District Nodal Officers and State officials for application registration,
tracking, and validation of other services, improving transparency and efficiency.
These initiatives are aligned with the Government’s broader objective of promoting inclusion, reducing
procedural barriers, and ensuring effective delivery of welfare schemes. The Department remains
committed to leveraging technology-driven reforms to enhance outreach and provide timely support to
students.
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SM/AJ
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