'Yogyashree' scheme to include students of minority, OBC, general categories

SNS, 11 June 2024 : The state government will include boys and girls belonging to the general category, minorities and OBC in its Yogyashree scheme that provides free coaching to students sitting for engineering and medical courses.

The scheme was so long applicable to the SC and ST categories.

In 2024, those who had received training in Yogyashree scheme, got 23 ranks, including 13 IIT seats in JEE Advanced, 75 ranks in JEE (Main),. Seventy five students had cracked JEE (Main) and 432 cracked WBJEE and 110 ranks in NEET.

The state government has increased the number of centres to 50 and 2000 aspirants will receive the coaching. The coaching will be given from students studying in Class XI onwards.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee in her X handle wrote: “We are proud that our Yogyashree scheme which we started to provide free-of-cost training to SC/ST students of the state for admission in engineering and medical courses has been yielding increasingly greater and greater benefits for our SC/ST boys and girls. Now, we shall include the boys and girls of minority, OBC and general categories also in this scheme.”

She said this would benefit the students coming from economically-challenged backgrounds immensely.

She emphasised this scheme would bring out engineers and doctors in large numbers from the weaker section of the society.

“Let our boys and girls from the weaker sections be engineers and doctors in larger numbers. We shall now include students of Minority, OBC, and General categories in this scheme. Kudos to them!,” she further posted.

The state's budget also revealed an enhancement in financial assistance under the Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme. General category households will now receive Rs 1,000, while SC/ST households are set to receive Rs 1,200.

Additionally, SC/ST women will been titled to Rs 1,200, and others will receive Rs 1,000 under the Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme, effective from April 2024. 

The West Bengal government on Tuesday said its ‘Yogyashree’ scheme for students will now include beneficiaries from the minority, OBC and general categories. The scheme was launched in January to provide free-of-cost training to SC and ST students of the state for engineering and medical courses. 

“In consideration of the value of this critical training support to our disadvantaged boys and girls, we have increased the number of centres in the state now to 50, and number of our supported trainees to 2,000, and the training will be given from Class XI onwards for better preparation,” the Chief Minister said. 

“Let our boys and girls from the weaker sections be engineers and doctors in larger numbers,” she added.