The Ministry of Communication ( Department of Posts) under the Government of India launched a pan India scholarship program called the Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana to promote the collection and study of Postage Stamps, aka Philately. The SPARSH stands for Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude and Research in Stamps.
What is Philately?
The collective action of acquiring, storing, researching, and displaying stamps is termed philately. People deep-dive into the history of stamps. Some may say that the Government moved forward on this Scheme to continue the rich legacy of Postage by incentivizing the young enthusiasts of the country.
Key points related to the Scheme
- Eligibility for application – All students who are pursuing regular classes in an Indian school recognized by the Government are members of a philately club, are academically strong, and hold a philately deposit account are eligible to apply under this scheme. The Government will go on to select 920 such students who meet all the eligibility criteria. The students must be studying in classes VI to class IX.
- Breakdown of allotment and reward system – To maintain a fair distribution of this scheme, every postal circle in India will be offered a maximum of 40 scholarships to 10 selected students. That sums up to roughly 920 students in total who will benefit from the scheme.
The Department of Posts has planned on transferring Rs 1,500 each quarter to the joint account of the selected students opened along with their parents at the post office savings bank or India Post Payment bank. This sums up to Rs 6,000 per annum.
- Application Process – The eligible candidates should download the Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana scholarship form from the official website and fill it in either English or Hindi with utmost caution. Once the application is filled, the required documents need to be attached and sent by speed post, registered post, or submission in person to the divisional head.
There also exists a provision for the school to directly apply in the Scheme on behalf of the students where the school head takes charge of all formalities and coordinates with the divisional head.
- Essential list of documents required – The candidates must hold a set of necessary documents and submit photocopies of the same along with the application form. Some of these documents include ID proof, bank details, caste certificate, school report card, and mark sheets of the previous qualifying exam.
- The selection process – Essentially, the selection process is a two-part activity, a written quiz and a project.
The written quiz is held at the regional level and spans 60 minutes. It consists of 50 Multiple Choice Questions from science, Culture, Sports, Current affairs and local and national levels philately without any negative marking.
After clearing the written quiz, the selected candidates choose a topic from the list released on the official website. They need to prepare a project of not more than 500 words and should be limited to 5 pages. The project shouldn’t contain more than 15 stamps and needs to be submitted within 15 days of the announcement of the written quiz result.
In conclusion, the Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana 2021 was met with a positive reaction by all. It promotes India’s rich heritage and ensures the continuation of the interest in stamps amongst young Indians. The Government is encouraged to introduce more of such Schemes to safeguard cultural enthusiasm.