The Minister of Punjab Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Dr Baljit Kaur, on Sunday informed about the launch of the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) students for the academic session 2026-27 through the official National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
According to PTI reports, the minister has informed that the application process has been ongoing since July 1, 2026, and urged all the eligible candidates belonging to the SC category to apply before the prescribed deadline to benefit from the scheme. The scheme offers financial assistance for higher education.
She also added that the Punjab government is committed to ensuring that no deserving candidate is deprived of higher education due to financial setbacks, as per PTI reports.
According to the official notice released by the department, the students are allowed to submit applications till the prescribed deadline, November 15, 2026. At the same time, the application with issues has been provided a deadline to make the required corrections by November 30, 2026.
The prescribed deadline for the education institutions to complete the institute-level verification is November 30, while the final verification by District, State, and Ministry Nodal Officers is until December 15, 2026.
She highlights the initiative, which is in line with the vision of the Chief Minister, Bhagwant Singh Mann’s vision, of creating a “Rangla Punjab” by making quality education accessible to all students, irrespective of their background.
Officers Instructed to Educate Students About Scheme
The minister also said the government is focusing on creating better employment opportunities within the state. The aim is to help educated youth to build successful careers across the state. The scholarship schemes are a merit-based, transparent recruitment process, expected to help students in reducing the financial burden on economically weaker families and discourage brain drain, she added.
According to the PTI reports, to ensure maximum coverage under the scheme, the minister has also instructed the department officers to organise awareness and facilitation camps in villages, urban areas, and remote regions. The aim is to reach out and inform the eligible students about the scheme and assist in the application process.
Further, the departments, which include Departments of Higher Education, Medical Education and Research, Technical Education and Industrial Training, School Education and Animal Husbandry, along with all the affiliated education institutions, have also been instructed to actively help the eligible students to submit their respective application forms within the prescribed deadline.
(With Inputs from PTI)