A post featuring a screenshot of a news article is going viral on social media platforms (here, here, here, here, and here), claiming that the Union government is offering free coaching under PM CARES exclusively for students from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC). The title of the news report featured in the viral posts reads: “PM CARES beneficiaries, SC-OBC students to get free coaching for competitive exams”, and the article was published on 21 February 2025. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Union government is offering free coaching under PM CARES to only SC and OBC students.
Fact: As of February 2025, the Union government is providing a free coaching scheme for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and all beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children Scheme. Under this scheme, a total of 3,500 students will be selected annually. Students belonging to SC and OBC categories with a family income of ₹8 lakh or less will be eligible for the scheme. However, beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children Scheme who are selected will not be subject to any income or caste-related restrictions. Notably, this scheme is not funded by the PM CARES Fund. Instead, it is an education scheme implemented by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We conducted a keyword search on Google using the headline of the news article featured in the viral post, and we found that the article in the viral post is taken from ‘The Hindu’ article published on 21 February 2025. According to this article, the government has introduced an updated scheme to provide high-quality coaching to children covered under the PM CARES scheme, along with students from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Originally launched during the Sixth Five-Year Plan, the free coaching scheme has undergone multiple revisions over the years to enhance its effectiveness. The latest update extends its benefits to PM CARES beneficiaries, removing caste and income-related restrictions for these students. Under the scheme, students will receive coaching for a wide range of competitive examinations.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has published guidelines for the ‘Free Coaching for SCs, OBCs, and Beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children Scheme’ on its website. The guidelines for applications for the scheme for the year 2024–2025 were published on the Ministry’s website on 19 February 2025. According to the scheme’s guidelines, it will be implemented by the Dr Ambedkar Foundation (DAF) through central universities under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Under this scheme, 3,500 students will be selected annually. Students belonging to SC and OBC categories with a family income of ₹8 lakh or less will be eligible. The document outlines that out of 100 seats, 70 per cent are reserved for students from the SC category, while 30 per cent are reserved for OBC students. However, there is no such quota for beneficiaries of the PM CARES Scheme and those selected under the PM CARES Children Scheme will not be subject to any income or caste-related restrictions, as per the guidelines. More details about this scheme can be found here.
PM CARES for children scheme:
The PM CARES for Children scheme was launched on 29 May 2021 to support children to complete their education from Class 1 onwards till they complete education till class 12, who lost both parents, a surviving parent, a legal guardian, or adoptive parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic between 11 March 2020 and 5 May 2023 (here).
According to a PIB press release dated 09 August 2024, the objective of the scheme is to ensure comprehensive care and protection for children in a sustained manner, promoting their well-being through health insurance, empowering them through education, and equipping them for a self-sufficient existence with financial support until the age of 23 (here, here). More details about this scheme can be found here and here.
Free Coaching Scheme for competitive examinations:
According to the Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment (here, here), this scheme is an education initiative under the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Its objective is to provide high-quality coaching for economically disadvantaged candidates from the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), enabling them to appear for competitive examinations to secure suitable employment in the public or private sector and gain admission to reputed technical and professional higher education institutions.
Originally launched during the Sixth Five-Year Plan, the scheme initially provided free coaching to students belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs). Later, similar schemes were introduced to extend free coaching to students from Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and minority communities. Over the years, the scheme has undergone multiple revisions to improve its effectiveness.
In September 2001, various coaching schemes for SCs, OBCs, and minorities were merged together. Further revisions took place in April 2007, and a separate ministry was established to handle matters related to minorities. As a result, the minority component was removed from the scope of this scheme (here). From 2024–2025, beneficiaries of the PM CARES for Children Scheme have also been included in this initiative. Information about additional scholarship schemes offered by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment can be found here and here.
To sum it up, as of February 2025, the Union government is providing a free coaching scheme for SCs, OBCs, and all the beneficiaries of PM CARES Children Scheme.
