Financial Assistance to Students Belonging to Tea Tribes Community of Assam

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Project Details

Category: Skill Development
Project Title: Financial Assistance to Students Belonging to Tea Tribes Community of Assam
Department or District: Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare Department, Government of Assam, Kamrup Metropolitan District
State: Assam
Start Date of the Project: 1st May 2020
Website: https://ttwd.assam.gov.in/information-services/financial-assistance

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Tribe(s) that the Project Covers: The project is specifically designed for the Tea Tribes community of Assam, including students from Tea and Ex-Tea Garden Tribes spread across various districts of the state.

Keywords: Tea Tribes, Tribal Education, Tribal Scholarship, Financial Assistance, Direct Benefit Transfer, Human Development, Tribal Welfare, Student Support, Educational Empowerment

The Tea Tribes Welfare Department, Government of Assam, launched the project “Financial Assistance to Students Belonging to Tea Tribes Community of Assam” with the objective of promoting education among students from the Tea Tribes, a socio-economically backward group. The project emphasizes creating opportunities for higher education and skill development, aiming to bridge the educational gap faced by the Tea Tribes community.

The Project

The project offers financial support to students from the Tea Tribes community through multiple scholarship schemes and financial assistance programs, covering education from Class 9 to professional degrees. The assistance ranges from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 35,000 per student depending on the scholarship scheme and level of education. The scholarships are disbursed via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to ensure efficiency and transparency. The project focuses on empowering the youth through education, ultimately enhancing their employability and socio-economic status.

Problems that it Intends to Solve

The project aims to address the financial constraints that significantly hinder the educational pursuits of students belonging to the Tea Tribes community. Many of these students come from extremely poor families and often drop out of school due to the inability to afford educational expenses. Prior to this initiative, there was a noticeable lack of financial support for such marginalized communities, which resulted in high dropout rates and limited access to professional courses and employment opportunities.

What was the Need

The need for the project arose from the persistent educational backwardness of the Tea Tribes community. Despite their talents and aspirations, many students were unable to continue their studies due to financial hardships. This not only limited individual potential but also perpetuated the socio-economic marginalization of the community. There was a pressing requirement for targeted financial assistance to enable these students to pursue secondary, higher, and professional education, paving the way for better livelihoods and community upliftment.

What Hindered its Introduction

The initial hindrance in implementing the project stemmed from low technical exposure among the field officers, particularly the Sub-Divisional Welfare Officers (SDWO), who were responsible for processing applications through the online system. Limited digital infrastructure and unfamiliarity with the SIRISH application system posed significant operational challenges during the project’s rollout.

Process Followed for Implementation

• Government
  • The project was spearheaded by the Tea Tribes Welfare Department, Assam, under the guidance of Dr. John Berchmans Ekka, Principal Secretary (IAS). The Directorate advertised the scholarship schemes widely through an online portal and invited applications from eligible students. The applications were collected and submitted by the SDWOs to the Directorate via the SIRISH online system. Financial sanction proposals were processed according to the guidelines and approved by the administrative head. The sanctioned amounts were directly disbursed to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts through DBT, ensuring quick and transparent transactions.
• Involvement of Community
  • The project directly engaged the Tea Tribes community through student participation. By ensuring that applications were accessible to students across Assam, the scheme encouraged large-scale community engagement. The involvement of local welfare officers facilitated outreach at the grassroots level.

Solutions Implemented

The primary solution was the introduction of four structured scholarship schemes:

• Post Matric Scholarship: Annual financial support for Higher Secondary and Three-Year Degree Course students.
• Simon Sing Horo Special Post-Matric Scholarship: One-time incentive for students who successfully cleared HSLC or HSSLC.
• Financial Assistance for Higher Studies: Substantial financial support for students pursuing professional degrees like MBBS, B.Tech, Law, or administrative studies within or outside the state.
• Financial Assistance for ANM/GNM/Technical Courses: Support for students enrolled in para-medical and job-oriented professional diploma courses.

Additionally, the project utilized an online application process and DBT mode for transparent financial transfers.

Details of the Coverage

The project reached students across all districts in Assam where the Tea Tribes community resides. During the two-year evaluation period from April 2020 to March 2022, a total of 38,720 students benefited from the schemes. The coverage was state-wide, with the outreach focusing specifically on tea garden belts where the Tea Tribes population is concentrated.

Innovation and Unique Features

• New Approaches: Tech integration, capacity building, culturally sensitive methods
  • A significant innovation was the digitization of the application process via the SIRISH portal, which streamlined the submission and verification of applications. Scholarships were disbursed using the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism, which minimized bureaucratic delays and eliminated potential leakages. This integration of technology ensured transparency, timely delivery, and wider accessibility.
• Co-creation: How tribal knowledge or leadership shaped the solution
  • While the project primarily focused on administrative processes, the continuous involvement of students and the community in the application process allowed for community needs and priorities to be directly reflected in the scheme’s execution.
• Any adaptations: How the project evolved during implementation
  • The project adapted to the technological challenges faced by the Sub-Divisional Welfare Officers by introducing better training and support mechanisms, ensuring that the application and disbursement processes could proceed smoothly despite initial hurdles.

Challenges Faced Before Implementation

• Internal Challenges
  • Poor technical familiarity among SDWOs with the SIRISH online system.
  • Administrative delays due to lack of experience in handling large-scale online financial transactions.
• External Challenges
  • Poor digital infrastructure in remote areas.
  • Lack of awareness among eligible students regarding the application process.
• Mitigation Efforts
  • Training and handholding support were provided to welfare officers to improve their proficiency with the online system. Extensive publicity of the schemes helped to spread awareness among the target population.

Challenges Faced During Implementation

• Internal Challenges
  • Processing a high volume of applications within a limited timeframe.
  • Ensuring data accuracy and eligibility verification.
• External Challenges
  • Connectivity issues in tea garden areas that made it difficult for students to submit applications on time.
• Mitigation Efforts
  • The department extended submission timelines where necessary and provided on-ground support through SDWOs to help students complete their applications.

Outcomes

• Quantitative
  • 38,720 students benefited from the schemes in the two-year period.
  • Distribution of financial assistance ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 35,000 per student depending on their course.
• Qualitative
  • Increased retention and reduced dropout rates among students from the Tea Tribes community.
  • Enhanced access to higher and professional education.
  • Improved employability prospects for the students.
  • Boosted community morale and aspirations towards education.
  • The project’s implementation was continuously monitored by the Directorate of Tea Tribes Welfare. Transparency was ensured through the publication of beneficiary lists on the official website. The DBT mechanism allowed for direct tracking of fund transfers, which contributed to accountability and minimized the chances of misappropriation.

Replicability / Scalability / Sustainability

• Policy Integration
  • The scholarship schemes are fully integrated into the policy framework of the Tea Tribes Welfare Department and are part of Assam’s broader human development initiatives.
• Financial Sustainability
  • The schemes are ongoing and backed by a committed budget. The department has earmarked Rs. 2,800 lakhs for future expansions, ensuring financial sustainability.
• Replication
  • Given the success and efficiency of the model, the project holds strong potential for replication in other tribal or marginalized communities facing similar educational challenges across India. The digitized, DBT-based disbursement system can serve as a best practice for scholarship delivery mechanisms.

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