"Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Pre-matric Scholarship to Other Backward Classes Class IX & X (OBC)  for Studies in India" is a Scholarship Scheme by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The objective is to award scholarships to school-going children of poorer OBC parents.

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The vision of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is to build an inclusive society wherein members of the target groups can lead productive, safe and dignified lives with adequate support for their growth and development. It aims to support and empower its target groups through programmes of educational, economic and social development, and rehabilitation, wherever necessary. In order to achieve its vision, the Ministry implements various Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CS/CSS) for vulnerable groups comprising of Other Backward Class (OBCs), Economically Backward Class (EBC) andDenotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNT/S-NT). A Backward Classes Division has been constituted by the Ministry which is responsible for the policy, planning and implementation of programmes relating to the social and economic empowerment of OBCs/EBCs/DNTs.  Ministry has identified the key indicators for socio-economic development of OBC/EBC/DNT community by proposing an umbrella scheme for educational empowerment by giving all scholarship schemes a uniform pattern and platform to make it more competitive with other lucrative schemes to widen the network.  Some sections of the OBCs are still backward in socio-economic terms. AsperNSSO(2009-10)66thRound,the estimated population of OBCs is 41.7 per cent as opposed to 16.6 per cent of SC population, as per 2011 National Census. Moreover, as per the then Planning Commission’s report 201112 out of total population of OBCs, 21.9% are below poverty line. However the overall numbers are expected to have been multiplied by now.   The existing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Pre-Matric Scholarship for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) Students and Post-Matric Scholarship for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) schemes were formulated in the year 1998-99. Further the scheme for educational empowerment of EBC/DNT was launched in the year 2014-15. All these scholarship schemes have been operational since their inception. The schemes aim towards educational empowerment of the socio-economically backward classes, thereby facilitating the completion of education of the most vulnerable sections of the target population. However, the absence of a national census for the identification of OBC/EBC/DNT community hasadverselyimpactedtheoutreachoftheschemes,preventingalarge number of potential beneficiaries from availing the scheme benefits.