A Spokesman of the Education Department said that the Department was implementing merit-cum-means scholarship and post matric scholarship schemes for students of minorities and added that applying online was compulsory to take benefit of these scholarship schemes, he added.

He said that merit-cum- means scholarship was being implemented for such students of Muslims, Sikhs, Christian and Buddhist minority communities whose family income was less than Rs. 2.50 lakhs annually and who had secured above 50 percent marks in the previous examination. He said that eligible students could submit their new applications online by 30th September, 2012 on its website. He said that those students who were already registered have to submit their renewed applications online by 31st December, 2012. Submission of one copy of the application in the institution was compulsory, he added.

The Spokesman said that under the post matric scholarship scheme, such students of Muslims, Sikhs, Christian and Buddhist minority communities were eligible whose family income was not above Rs. two lakhs annually and who have secured above 50 percent marks in the previous examinations. He said that eligible students could submit their new applications online by 15th August, 2012 on the website. Submission of one copy of the application in the institution was compulsory, he added. He said that students of Government and Non- Government Senior Secondary Schools could submit their applications to the Principal by 15th July, 2012.

He said that College and University students have to register/apply online only to take benefit of the scheme.

He further said that Maulana Azad National Scholarship Scheme was being implemented for girls students of minority communities who were permanent residents of Himachal Pradesh by the Education Department under which girls students of Plus one whose family income was below Rs. one lakh annually and who have secured above 55 percent in the previous examination were being provided scholarships. Eligible girls students could submit their applications by 15th July, 2012 to the Principal to take benefit of the scheme, he added.