GOKDOM – The Directorate of Minorities under Government of Karnataka, popularly known as GOKDOM majorly focuses on the issues relating to the notified Minorities such as Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists in the state. Located in Bengaluru, the directorate acts as the nodal agency for all the schemes, including scholarships, being run by the State and the Central Government for the welfare of Minority Community.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The applications for Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit-cum-Means Scholarships for Minority community students of Karnataka for the academic year 2020-21 are now open through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). The last date to apply is 31st October 2020.

GOKDOM – What it is?

GOKDOM was carved out of the Directorate of Backward Classes in 1999-2000 to uplift the socio-economic status of people belonging to the minority community. The key functions that the directorate serves for the minority communities in Karnataka include –

• Introduction of schemes to accelerate their socio-economic development.
• Introduction of educational schemes for students.
• Implementation of schemes especially for children and women.
• Providing them with suitable training and employment opportunities to allow them to tackle the problems related to economic backwardness.

The directorate looks after planning, coordination, evaluation as well as the implementation of development schemes for the benefit of minority community students.

GOKDOM – The Comprehensive Scholarship List

GOKDOM hosts all the schemes offered by the Directorate of Minorities, Government of Karnataka including scholarships, fellowships, fee reimbursement schemes, scheme for food and accommodation, madrasa schemes and more. Here is a comprehensive list of all the scholarships that are listed at GOKDOM along with their estimated application period and the rewards that they offer to the prospective students.

Detailed List of GOKDOM Scholarship

S.No.	Scholarship Name	Application Period*	Awards
1.	Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities of Karnataka	August to October	The scholarship covers tuition fee, admission fee and maintenance allowance
2.	Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities of Karnataka	August to October	The scholarship covers tuition fee, admission fee and maintenance allowance
3.	Merit-Cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities, Karnataka	August to October	Scholarship up to INR 30,000
4.	National Overseas Scholarship for Minority Community Students, Karnataka	May to July	Scholarship up to INR 20 Lakh per annum up to 2 years covering the cost of course, living expenses and one side airfare
5.	Incentive for SSLC & 2nd PUC Students, Karnataka	August to September	A one-time incentive of INR 10,000 to SSLC students and INR 20,000 to 2nd PUC students
6.	MPhil and PhD Fellowship for Minority Students, Karnataka	May to June	Fellowship up to INR 25,000 per month A contingency grant of INR 10,000 per annum

*The above-mentioned application period is tentative which may change on the discretion of the scholarship provider.

GOKDOM Scholarships – Eligibility Criteria

Since the scholarships are being offered by the Directorate of Minorities, Government of Karnataka, the key eligibility that is applicable for all the scholarships is that only students belonging to the minority community and having domicile of Karnataka state can apply. Furthermore, to get specific eligibility criteria for each scholarship, refer to the table given below that contains detailed eligibility criteria for all the scholarships offered by the Directorate.

Detailed Eligibility Criteria for GOKDOM Scholarships

S.No.	Scholarship Name	Eligibility Conditions
1.	Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities of Karnataka	The students must be studying in class 1st to 10th. The percentage of marks obtained by the student in previous annual examination should be more than 50%. (Not applicable for students of class 1st) The family income of the applicant should not be more than INR 1 Lakh from all sources. The students belonging to other states who are studying in Karnataka cannot apply. The students who are domicile of Karnataka but studying in some other state can apply.
2.	Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities of Karnataka	The students of class 11th to PhD level can apply. The marks obtained in the previous qualifying examination should be 50% or above. The annual family income should be more than INR 2 Lakh. The students pursuing studies through correspondence or certificate/training level courses cannot apply. The students belonging to other states who are studying in Karnataka cannot apply.
3.	Merit-Cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities, Karnataka	The student must be pursuing graduation or post-graduation in a professional/technical stream. The marks obtained in the previous examination should be more than 50%. The total annual family income from all sources should not exceed INR 2.5 Lakh.
4.	National Overseas Scholarship for Minority Community Students, Karnataka	Your age should not be more than 38 years from the commencement of the course. The marks scores in the last degree should be 60% or its equivalent grade. The scholarship is applicable for selective courses only.
5.	Incentive for SSLC & 2nd PUC Students, Karnataka	You must have passed class 10th or 12th with 85% marks or above.
6.	MPhil and PhD Fellowship for Minority Students, Karnataka	The age of the applicant should not be more than 35 years. The annual income of the family should be less than INR 6 Lakh. Government employees or full-time employees are not eligible to apply.

GOKDOM – Application Process to Follow

All the scholarships listed with the Directorate of Minorities have their distinctive application process. While you need to apply for some scholarships offline, there are some scholarships for which you need to apply through GOKDOM. Also, the applications for scholarships which are centrally-sponsored are done online through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). The table given below carries a detailed description of how and where can you apply for a specific scholarship.

Application Process of GOKDOM Scholarships

S.No.	Scholarship Name	How to Apply?
1.	Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities of Karnataka	Apply online through NSP (National Scholarship Portal)
2.	Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities of Karnataka	Apply online through NSP (National Scholarship Portal)
3.	Merit-Cum-Means Scholarship for Minorities, Karnataka	Apply online through NSP (National Scholarship Portal)
4.	National Overseas Scholarship for Minority Community Students, Karnataka	Apply offline through GOKDOM
5.	Incentive for SSLC & 2nd PUC Students, Karnataka	Apply online through GOKDOM
6.	MPhil and PhD Fellowship for Minority Students, Karnataka	Apply online or offline through GOKDOM

GOKDOM – Contact Details

In case you have any query regarding any information related to scholarships listed at GOKDOM, you can feel free to connect with the directorate’s office either personally, by email or on-call. Please find the contact details hereunder –

Directorate of Minorities,

20th & 21st Floor,

V V Towers (Main),

Dr. B R Ambedkar Veedhi,

Bangalore – 560001

GOKDOM Helpline – 080 22535900

Email: gokdom@gmail.com

Website: https://gokdom.kar.nic.in/

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