Scholarship
Merit Awards(MA-MAHA)
Overview
About MA-MAHA
Merit Awards is a Government of Maharashtra scheme that recognises students with disabilities who top the state's two school board examinations. It is administered by the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department, which handles education, training and social assistance for disadvantaged communities in the state.
The award is given to students with a disability who place first, second or third among disabled candidates in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC, Class 10) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC, Class 12) examinations. Ranking is counted division by division, so the top three disabled candidates in each divisional board are recognised. The benefit is a cash award.
Because it is pinned to the top three positions in each division, the scheme reaches a small group of students in any given year rather than every disabled candidate who passes. It runs alongside the department's wider work on scholarships, fee support and welfare for underprivileged groups in Maharashtra.
Sources: myScheme (Government of India) – Merit Awards, Maharashtra · Social Justice and Special Assistance Department, Government of Maharashtra
Who runs it
Provider
District Social Welfare Offices Of The Department Of Social Justice & Special Assistance, Govt. Of Maharashtra
State / UT Government
Social Justice and Special Assistance Department · District Social Welfare Offices Of The Department Of Social Justice & Special Assistance, Govt. Of Maharashtra
At a glance
Key details
| Level | State |
| Scheme type | — |
| Category | Social welfare & Empowerment, Education & Learning |
| Beneficiaries | Individual |
| Benefit type | Cash |
| Application mode | Offline |
Calendar
Important dates
Across all open application cycles.
| Cycle | Stage | Date |
|---|
Who can apply
Eligibility criteria
| The applicant should be a citizen of India. | |
| The applicant should be a permanent resident of Maharashtra State. | |
| The applicant should be a Person with Disability (Visually Handicapped, Low Vision, Hearing Impaired, Orthopedically Handicapped, etc). | |
| The applicant should have ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd among disabled students in the Secondary School Certificate (S.S.C.) and Higher Secondary Certificate (H.S.C.) in their respective divisional boards of education. |
What to prepare
Documents required
Step by step
How to apply
- 1Apply offline
See the official links below for the application portal.
Source
Official links
Questions
MA-MAHA – FAQ
Disclaimer
Scheme details are compiled from myScheme, the Government of India’s official scheme-discovery platform, and are reproduced without alteration. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility change between cycles — always confirm on the official links above before applying. Expertie does not process applications or charge fees.