For Girls

What you need to know

1. 1
   There is help for girls at every stage: savings from birth, free schools, scholarships, extra college seats, free exam forms, skills, health and safety.
2. 2
   Most help is free to apply for, and much of it goes through the school, the Anganwadi or the National Scholarship Portal.
3. 3
   Every state has its own girl-child scheme too. This map shows the national ones and the biggest state ones, so you know what to ask for.
4. 4
   Keep three documents ready: birth certificate, Aadhaar and a bank account in her name (with an income certificate for most scholarships).

Official sources

• scholarships.gov.inNational Scholarship Portal↗

Inside this branch

• Every year: the calendar
• From birth: savings and state money2 more
• School years2 more
• College and scholarships2 more
• Exams cost less1 more
• Skills, jobs and business2 more
• Health2 more
• Safety and rights2 more
• For parents1 more
• Avoid scheme scams1 more

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   National Scholarship Portal (including Pragati for girls): usually opens around June–July and closes around October–November.
2. 2
   CBSE Single Girl Child scholarship: forms usually from September to November.
3. 3
   JoSAA (IIT/NIT seats, with extra seats for girls): June–July, after JEE Advanced.
4. 4
   Sukanya Samriddhi: open an account any time before she turns 10. The HPV vaccine is given at age 14 on routine vaccination days.
5. 5
   Exact dates change every year: always check the official website before you apply.

Official sources

• scholarships.gov.inNational Scholarship Portal↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 6

• Official
  Sukanya Samriddhi Account (National Savings Institute)Official rules; the interest rate changes every quarter.
  Free
• Official
  MP Ladli Laxmi YojanaMadhya Pradesh: register within a year of birth, check status.
  Free
• Official
  UP Kanya Sumangala YojanaUttar Pradesh: cash in 6 stages, family income up to ₹3 lakh.
  Free
• Official
  West Bengal KanyashreeYearly grant for unmarried girls aged 13–18 in school, plus a one-time grant at 18.
  Free
• Official
  Bihar Medhasoft (Kanya Utthan)Bihar: apply here for the Inter-pass and graduation incentives.
  Free
• Official
  Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (myScheme)What the campaign really is: awareness, not cash.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Sukanya Samriddhi Account
• State girl-child schemes

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
Found a mistake in this topic? Tell us

What you need to know

1. 1
   Open at a post office or bank any time before she turns 10. Put in ₹250 to ₹1.5 lakh a year for 15 years; it matures at 21 years.
2. 2
   One of the highest safe interest rates, set every quarter, and fully tax-free. Up to half can be taken out for studies after age 18 or Class 10.

Official sources

• nsiindia.gov.inNational Savings Institute: Sukanya Samriddhi Account↗
• taxguru.inSukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme 2019 (rules text)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Most states pay money in stages as she grows and studies, as long as she stays in school and is not married before 18. Ask at your Anganwadi.
2. 2
   Examples: MP Ladli Laxmi, UP Kanya Sumangala (₹25,000 in 6 stages, reported), Maharashtra Lek Ladki (₹1,01,000 in stages), West Bengal Kanyashree, Bihar Kanya Utthan (cash for passing Inter and graduation), Rajasthan Lado Protsahan (reported).
3. 3
   Beti Bachao Beti Padhao is an awareness campaign, not a cash scheme. Forms promising "BBBP money" are fake.

Official sources

• ladlilaxmi.mp.gov.inMP Ladli Laxmi Yojana↗
• mksy.up.gov.inUP Kanya Sumangala Yojana↗
• icds.gov.inICDS Maharashtra: Lek Ladki scheme↗
• wbkanyashree.gov.inWest Bengal Kanyashree Prakalpa↗
• medhasoft.bihar.gov.inBihar Medhasoft (Kanya Utthan)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 6

• Official
  Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (Samagra Shiksha)Free residential schools for girls, Class 6–12.
  Free
• Official
  Vigyan Jyoti (DST)Science support for girls in Class 9–12.
  Free
• Official
  CBSE scholarshipsSingle Girl Child scholarship for Class 11–12.
  Free
• Book
  NCERT textbooks (free PDFs)Every NCERT book, Class 1–12, Hindi and English.
  Free
• App
  ePathshala (NCERT)NCERT books offline; can read text aloud.
  Free
• Video
  NCERT OfficialNCERT's own lesson videos.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Free schooling
• Science and merit

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   School is free and compulsory from 6 to 14. Private schools must keep 25% of entry seats free for poorer families (RTE).
2. 2
   Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV): free residential schools for girls in Class 6–12 in backward blocks, with hostel, books and uniform. For SC, ST, OBC, minority and BPL girls.
3. 3
   Many states also give free cycles, uniforms and sanitary pads to girls in government schools.

Official sources

• samagra.education.gov.inSamagra Shiksha: Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya↗
• Vaidaani roadmapEarly years: Class 1–5→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Vigyan Jyoti: science camps, mentors and lab visits for bright girls in Class 9–12.
2. 2
   CBSE Single Girl Child scholarship: ₹500 a month (current rate) in Class 11–12 for a CBSE girl with 60% in Class 10 who has no brother or sister.

Official sources

• vigyanjyoti.dst.gov.inVigyan Jyoti (DST)↗
• cbse.gov.inCBSE scholarships (Single Girl Child)↗
• Vaidaani roadmapBecome a Scientist→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 5

• Official
  National Scholarship PortalOne portal for central and many state scholarships, including Pragati.
  Free
• Official
  Pragati scholarship for girlsFor girls in technical degree or diploma courses.
  Free
• Official
  Pragati (degree) explained in Hindi (myScheme)Eligibility in simple Hindi.
  Free
• Official
  PG scholarship for single girl child (myScheme)For an only daughter doing a master's.
  Free
• Official
  PM Vidyalaxmi education loansLoans without collateral; interest help for family income up to ₹8 lakh.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Scholarships for girls
• Extra seats at IITs and NITs

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Pragati (AICTE): ₹50,000 a year (reported) for girls in an approved engineering or technical degree or diploma, family income up to ₹8 lakh, up to 2 girls per family. Thousands are given every year through NSP.
2. 2
   PG scholarship for a single girl child (UGC): about ₹36,200 a year for 2 years for an only daughter doing a full-time master's.
3. 3
   Girls can also get every general scholarship: post-matric, central sector, INSPIRE and state ones.

Official sources

• indiascienceandtechnology.gov.inPragati scholarship for girls (AICTE)↗
• myscheme.gov.inmyScheme: PG scholarship for single girl child↗
• Vaidaani roadmapScholarships for every stage→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   IITs and NITs add extra seats only for girls so that about 20% of each course is women. Girls compete on both the open and the female-only lists.
2. 2
   No money? PM Vidyalaxmi gives education loans without collateral at top colleges, with interest help for family income up to ₹8 lakh.

Official sources

• josaa.nic.inJoSAA (IIT, NIT counselling)↗
• Vaidaani roadmapBecome an Engineer→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Inside this branch

• Fee waivers

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   UPSC and SSC exams: no fee for women.
2. 2
   Railway (RRB) exams: women pay a lower fee, and it is refunded (minus bank charges) if she sits the exam.
3. 3
   JEE Main: girls pay a lower fee. Always check the fee table in each notice; many state exams also waive fees for women.

Official sources

• eparlib.nic.inLok Sabha answer: no exam fee for women in UPSC and SSC (PDF)↗
• Vaidaani roadmapUPSC Civil Services→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 5

• Course
  Skill India DigitalFree courses, jobs and business modules.
  Free
• Official
  DGT: ITIs and NSTI for womenWomen-only National Skill Training Institutes in many cities.
  Free
• Official
  National Career ServiceFree government job portal and career counselling.
  Free
• Official
  MUDRA loansSmall-business loans through banks.
  Free
• Official
  DAY-NRLM (Aajeevika): self-help groupsVillage women's groups; home of the Lakhpati Didi goal.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Free training
• Careers and business

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Skill India courses are free, and about 4 in 10 trainees are women (reported). Women's ITIs and National Skill Training Institutes for Women run job trades.
2. 2
   Sakhi Niwas: safe, low-cost hostels for working women and women in training, with space for young children.

Official sources

• skillindiadigital.gov.inSkill India Digital↗
• dgt.gov.inDGT: ITIs and NSTI for women↗
• Vaidaani roadmapITI, Polytechnic and Skills→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Girls can now join the NDA and the forces as officers, and the Navy and Army take women Agniveers.
2. 2
   For a small business: MUDRA loans through banks, and village self-help groups (the Lakhpati Didi goal) for savings, loans and training.

Official sources

• mudra.org.inMUDRA loans↗
• Vaidaani roadmapJoin the Defence Forces→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
Found a mistake in this topic? Tell us

Learn from these 4

• Official
  Anemia Mukt BharatFree iron tablets for adolescent girls.
  Free
• Official
  U-WIN: vaccination recordsRecords vaccines, including the free HPV dose at 14.
  Free
• Official
  eSanjeevani: free online doctorFree video consultation, including women's health doctors.
  Free
• Official
  PM Matru Vandana YojanaMaternity cash support; apply through the Anganwadi or online.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Free health care for girls
• Later: motherhood

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
Found a mistake in this topic? Tell us

What you need to know

1. 1
   HPV vaccine (protects against cervical cancer): free, one dose, at age 14, with a parent's consent, at government health centres.
2. 2
   Weekly iron tablet (blue) for girls aged 10–19 at school or the Anganwadi, and deworming twice a year, to prevent anaemia.
3. 3
   Low-cost sanitary pads: ₹1 a pad at Jan Aushadhi stores, and cheap packs from ASHA workers.

Official sources

• newsonair.gov.inAll India Radio: free HPV vaccine for 14-year-old girls↗
• anemiamuktbharat.infoAnemia Mukt Bharat↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
Found a mistake in this topic? Tell us

What you need to know

1. 1
   PM Matru Vandana: ₹5,000 for the first child, and ₹6,000 if the second child is a girl. Working women get 26 weeks of paid maternity leave.

Official sources

• pmmvy.wcd.gov.inPM Matru Vandana Yojana↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 6

• Official
  Mission Shakti: 181 and One Stop CentresFind the One Stop Centre in your district.
  Free
• Official
  NCW online complaintFile and track a complaint with the National Commission for Women.
  Free
• Official
  SHe-BoxWorkplace sexual harassment complaints, government or private.
  Free
• Official
  Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat portalReport a child marriage and find the district officer.
  Free
• Official
  NALSA: free legal aid (15100)Free lawyers for women and children.
  Free
• Official
  Cyber crime portal (helpline 1930)Report online harassment or fake profiles.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Helplines to save
• Rights every girl has

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   112 emergency · 181 women helpline · 1098 child helpline · 1930 cyber fraud · 15100 free legal aid.
2. 2
   One Stop Centres in every district give medical, police, legal and counselling help and a safe place to stay, free.
3. 3
   Harassment at work: complain on SHe-Box; your name is kept private.

Official sources

• missionshakti.wcd.gov.inMission Shakti: 181 and One Stop Centres↗
• pib.gov.inPIB factsheet: Mission Shakti (181, One Stop Centres, Sakhi Niwas)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Marriage before 18 is a crime. Anyone can report a child marriage on the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat portal or on 1098.
2. 2
   Daughters have an equal share in family property from birth, even after marriage (Supreme Court, 2020).
3. 3
   Women and children get free legal aid, whatever their income. Dowry is a crime.

Official sources

• stopchildmarriage.wcd.gov.inBal Vivah Mukt Bharat portal↗
• api.sci.gov.inSupreme Court: Vineeta Sharma judgment on daughters' property rights (PDF)↗
• nalsa.gov.inNALSA: free legal aid↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Inside this branch

• What helps most

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Keep her in school until at least Class 12, and don't fix her marriage early: most money schemes depend on both.
2. 2
   Open her bank account and Sukanya account early, keep her certificates safe, and check NSP every year for scholarships.
3. 3
   If she must study away from home, choose government hostels, KGBV or residential schemes over unknown private PGs.

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
Found a mistake in this topic? Tell us

Learn from these 5

• Official
  PIB Fact CheckChecks viral fake schemes and scholarships.
  Free
• Official
  myScheme: is this scheme real?If a scheme is not here or on a .gov.in site, be careful.
  Free
• Official
  National Scholarship Portal (apply only here)Real scholarships never charge fees or apply over WhatsApp.
  Free
• Official
  Cyber crime portal (helpline 1930)Call 1930 quickly to try to freeze the money.
  Free
• Video
  CyberDost (Ministry of Home Affairs)Short videos on staying safe online, Hindi and English.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Red flags

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Calls or WhatsApp messages asking for a "processing fee" or an OTP to release a scholarship or scheme money are always fake.
2. 2
   Fake schemes with official-looking names spread every year. Check on PIB Fact Check or myScheme before filling any form.
3. 3
   Apply for scholarships only on scholarships.gov.in or your state portal. Lost money? Call 1930 at once.

Official sources

• pib.gov.inPIB Fact Check↗
• cybercrime.gov.inCyber crime portal (helpline 1930)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
Found a mistake in this topic? Tell us