New Delhi, June 25 -- The department of social justice and empowerment, under the ministry of social justice and empowerment (MoSJE), has scrapped the mandatory domicile certificate requirement for students applying under the Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). This reform will ease access for nearly 12 million students who receive benefits annually under the two schemes. A domicile certificate is an official document issued by a state government certifying permanent residency. It has until now been a mandatory submission under both schemes. For students studying outside their home states, obtaining one mid-year has meant travel back home, lost wages for parents, and in some cases payments to touts to expedite the process. 5.8 million SC students and 14.7 million OBC students are enrolled in Indian universities based on MoE's 14.2% and 35.8% share of the 41.3 million total enrolment figure. National Sample Survey and Census migration data suggest approximately 30-35% of students in higher education study outside their home district. "The removal of the requirement is aimed at reducing the documentation burden, lowering compliance costs, and enabling smoother access to scholarship benefits for eligible students," senior ministry officials said. The two schemes cover a wide base of beneficiaries across income brackets. The Pre-Matric Scholarship for SC students covers those in Classes 9 and 10 with parental income up to Rs.2.5 lakh per annum, while the Post-Matric Scholarship extends to higher education up to the doctoral level. For OBC students, separate Pre-Matric and Post-Matric schemes operate with income ceilings of Rs.2.5 lakh and Rs.1 lakh per annum respectively. Alongside the documentation reform, the department has launched SETU - Scholarship for Educational Transformation and Upliftment - on the UMANG platform as a single-window digital solution for all scholarship-related services. "These initiatives are aligned with the government's broader objective of promoting inclusion, reducing procedural barriers, and ensuring effective delivery of welfare schemes," the ministry said....