Ahead of polls, Kerala govt rolls out Prajwala scholarship scheme for job aspirants

The Kerala government has issued guidelines for the ‘Prajwala – Connect to Work’ scholarship designed to support job aspirants. The scheme will provide a monthly assistance of ₹1,000 to eligible candidates, aged between 18 and 30 years, for a maximum period of 12 months.

The initiative is expected to benefit up to 5 lakh youth across the State, particularly those undergoing skill development training or preparing for competitive examinations.

The scholarship was announced by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan two weeks ago, along with a slew of other welfare measures, likely with an eye on the upcoming elections.

According to the order, the scholarship seeks to empower youths from economically backward sections who aspire to improve their employability, but are constrained by financial hardship. Implemented through the Directorate of Employment, the programme is designed to encourage continued learning, training and job readiness among the youth of Kerala.

The monthly assistance will be credited directly to the beneficiaries’ Aadhaar-linked bank accounts through the direct benefit transfer (DBT) system.

Criteria

To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must be permanent residents of Kerala and satisfy the age criterion. Their family’s annual income should not exceed ₹1 lakh. Moreover, those already receiving similar scholarships or financial assistance from the government or any agencies will not be eligible.

The benefit is open to those undergoing recognised skill development training or preparing for competitive examinations such as the Union Public Service Commission, State Public Service Commission, Staff Selection Commission, defence, banking, railways or similar recruitment tests. Training programmes run by State and Central government departments, public sector undertakings and government-approved institutions are all covered under the scheme. The financial assistance will be discontinued, once a beneficiary secures employment during the scholarship period.

Applications must be submitted online through the Employment Directorate’s portal, eemployment.kerala.gov.in. The verification of applications will be carried out at multiple levels, with the Employment Directorate overseeing State-level monitoring and the disbursement process. Kerala Social Security Pension Ltd will process and transfer the scholarship amount after completing the verification.