Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY) – Overview, Eligibility and Application Process

Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY) is a key initiative of the Government of India in support of the birth of a girl child and her education. The scheme was launched in the year 1997 with an aim to offer financial aid to girl children born on or after 15 August 1997. The key objectives of the Balika Samridhi Yojana include –

• Improvising the enrolment as well as retention of the girl child in the schools
• Changing the negative attitude of the family and community towards the birth of a girl child
• Raising the girls till their legal age of marriage
• Assisting the girls in undertaking activities that can generate income

What are the perks of Balika Samridhi Yojana? How does it benefit the girl child and their mother? Who is eligible to obtain benefits under this scheme? How can you avail the benefits of this scheme? The answers to all these questions are covered in detail in this article. It highlights every significant information related to the scheme such as its eligibility, application process, award details, key statistics and important terms & conditions.

Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY) – An Overview

S.No.	Particulars	Details
1.	Name of the Scheme	Balika Samridhi Yojana
2.	Last Date to Apply	Always Open
3.	How to Apply?	Apply offline through Anganwadi Workers or Health Functionaries
4.	Amount of Assistance	Post-birth grant – INR 500 Scholarship up to INR 1000 per annum
5.	Income Criteria	Applicable for girl children born in the families who come under BPL (Below Poverty Line)

Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY) – Key Eligibility

As the name suggests, Balika Samridhi Yojana is applicable only for girl children. Besides this, there are certain key eligibility conditions that the candidate should fulfil to avail benefits under this scheme. These conditions include –

• The post-birth grant is given to the mothers of the new-born girl child.
• The girl child should belong to a family below the poverty line.
• The scheme is implemented in both urban and rural areas.
• The girl should be born on or after 15^th August 1997.

Note:  Only two girl children in a family can avail the benefits under this scheme regardless of the total number of children are there in the household.

Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY) – Application Process

The implementation partner for Balika Samridhi Yojana is Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in rural areas and the Health Department functionaries in the urban areas. The candidates fulfilling the eligibility conditions can apply for the scheme offline by adopting the below-given steps.

Step 1: Obtain the application form from Anganwadi workers (in rural areas) or Health functionaries (in urban areas).

OR

The candidates can download the application form online from the official website. (Note: There are separate application forms available for urban areas and rural areas).

Step 2: Fill in all required details in the form.

Step 3: Submit the completed application form to respective functionaries from where the application forms are obtained.

Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY) – Rewards

What kind of financial aid is given to eligible candidates under this scheme? What is the scholarship amount disbursed to the girl children under this scheme? Get the answer to all these questions in a nutshell in this section. The amount of financial assistance given to the mother of the girl child at the time of her birth is a one-time grant of INR 500. Besides this, when the girl child starts attending her school, she becomes entitled to receive an annual scholarship as mentioned hereunder –

• The scholarship amount for class 1 to 3 is INR 300 per annum.
• The scholarship amount for class 4 is INR 500 per annum.
• The scholarship amount for class 5 is INR 600 per annum.
• The scholarship amount for class 6 to 7 is INR 700 per annum.
• The scholarship amount for class 8 is INR 800 per annum.
• The scholarship amount for class 9 to 10 is INR 1000 per annum.

Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY) – Key Statistics

Ever since the implementation of Balika Samridhi Yojana, how many girl students have benefitted from the scheme? What is the amount of financial aid disbursed every year? Get an answer to all these questions in the table below. It highlights the key statistics of the scheme over the years such as the number of beneficiaries benefitting through the scheme and the total amount disbursed in a particular academic year.

Year-wise statistics of Balika Samridhi Yojana

S.No.	Academic Year	Estimated Amount Disbursed	Number of Beneficiaries Benefitted*
1.	2004-05	INR 63.29 Lakh	2337
2.	2003-04	NA	7441
3.	2002-03	NA	6696
4.	2001-02	NA	9166
5.	2000-01	INR 25 Lakh	2889
6.	1999-2000	INR 57.66 Lakh	6673
7.	1998-99	INR 59.29 Lakh	7765
8.	1997-98	INR 86.49 Lakh	2738

*The number of beneficiaries mentioned above are approximate. The accurate numbers may vary.

Balika Samridhi Yojana (BSY) – Terms and Conditions

How is the scholarship amount disbursed to the beneficiaries? How can the beneficiary use the funds under this scheme? Is there any provision of withdrawing the benefits? If yes, then how? The answers to all these questions are covered in the terms and conditions mentioned below. The candidates who avail benefits under this scheme have to follow all of them –

• The amount of financial assistance is directly deposited into the account of the beneficiary. (Note: The beneficiary is the girl child in the name of whom an interest-bearing account has to be opened).
• It is preferable that the amount earns the maximum interest possible. Thus, it is advisable to the candidates to look up for schemes like Public Provident Fund or National Saving Certificate.
• The candidates can utilise a part of the grant or the scholarship amount towards paying the premium of the insurance policy under the Bhagyashri Balika Kalyan Bima Yojana in the girl’s name.
• The candidates can also utilise the scholarship amount for the purchasing the textbook or the uniform for the girl.
• There is also a provision of withdrawing the standing amount in the name of the child one her completion of 18 years subject to the production of a certificate issued by the Municipality/ Gram Panchayat stating that the girl is unmarried.
• In case the girl gets married before 18 years of age, she shall have to forego the scholarship amount and the interest accrued on it and shall be entitled to receive the post-birth grant and the interest accrued on it only.
• In the event of girl’s death before completing 18 years of age, the total accumulated amount available in her account can be withdrawn.