BHADARWAH, Sep 7: In a bid to ensure that financial constraints do not derail the academic pursuits of marginalized students, the Social Welfare Department on Monday held comprehensive awareness drives across key higher secondary schools and colleges here to sensitize youth on government sponsored scholarship schemes.
The outreach camps were organized at the Government Degree College, Bhaderwah as well as the Government Higher Secondary School for Boys and Government Higher Secondary School for Girls.
During the interactive sessions, officials walked students through the eligibility norms, financial perks and step by step digital application mechanisms for various post-matric schemes with a sharp focus on Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backward Class (OBC) beneficiaries.
Tehsil Social Welfare Officer (TSWO) Bhaderwah, Shahnawaz Ahmad who led the drive urged students not to let ignorance stand between them and their education.
“Every welfare scheme rolled out by the government is designed to level the playing field, but that happens only when the money reaches the rightful beneficiary,” Ahmad told students. “Do not hesitate to reach out to our office if you hit a wall during the online application process. We are here to guide you through every step so that no deserving candidate loses out due to procedural confusion or missed deadlines.”
To ensure clarity, field officials distributed detailed informational brochures mapping out the required documentation and portal guidelines.
Heads and principals of the participating educational institutions also directed their staff to set up facilitation corners to assist pupils before cut off dates lapse.
“Many of our students come from remote pockets and modest backgrounds. Direct outreach like this demystifies the red tape,” remarked an official at the Boys Higher Secondary School. “Our mandate now is to make sure eligible boys and girls apply well within the timeline without having to run from pillar to post.”
The initiative forms part of the administration’s broader push to bridge information deficits in rural Jammu and Kashmir ensuring educational subsidies directly cushion the academic journey of socially and economically weaker students.