Yesterday, Tuesday, September 2, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment honoured 1,490 toppers from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and the Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories. These students were top scorers in class 10 and class 12 examinations held by 29 state and central boards in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The felicitation was a part of the Dr Ambedkar National Merit Award Ceremony 2025, held in New Delhi. Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar also attended the event.
The award was set up by the Dr Ambedkar Foundation, which is chaired by the minister.
Kumar praised the students' achievements, emphasising the importance of education in Dr BR Ambedkar's vision of societal transformation, Hindustan Times reports.
"Babasaheb gave the oppressed communities the strength to rise through knowledge. The government remains committed to empowering Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other disadvantaged groups through scholarships, fellowships and targeted welfare schemes," said Kumar.
For the 2021-22 academic year, 367 class 10 and 563 class 12 passouts received the award, including 71 toppers. In 2022-23, 198 class 10 and 362 class 12 passouts received the award, with 46 toppers honoured.
Each awardee got a one-time financial grant of Rs 60,000 for first place, Rs 50,000 for second, and Rs 40,000 for third. The highest-scoring girl student received a special reward of Rs 60,000, as there were no girls in the top three positions.
