Over the years, healthcare and women empowerment has been a priority of the central government. Redirecting its focus towards women and childcare, the government of India announced the Shishu Vikas Yojana, which aims to reduce the financial burden on the poor by offering financial assistance to the needy so as to look after their child’s holistic development.

It is to ensure that their child gets ample access to quality health and educational facilities already offered by the nation. The impact of the scheme is massive as more than 20.75 crore poor and vulnerable children across the nation are covered under the benefits of this scheme.

How to apply online for the benefits of the Shishu Vikas Yojana?

If you are a parent wishing to enroll your child to avail the benefits of the scheme, here is how you can apply online:

  1. Visit the official website of the PM Shishu Vikas Yojana.
  2. On the homepage, click on the button that reads “Join now”.
  3. The application form will be displayed on the screen.
  4. Now, the applicant has to fill in the required details and upload the documents.
  5. The final step is to re-check all the details filled in, and finally click on “Submit”.

Documents needed to apply for the scheme

  1. Aadhaar card
  2. Voter ID Card
  3. PAN card
  4. Income certificate
  5. Bank details

What are the eligibility criteria for someone to avail the benefits of the Shishu Vikas Yojana?

  1. The annual family income should be less than five lakh.
  2. All school students can enroll in this scheme.
  3. The child is eligible to opt for one-time higher education insurance in the scheme.
  4. To avail of the health insurance benefits, the parents would have to create an account in the child’s name, add account details to the scheme portal and thereby complete the KYC process.

Benefits offered by the scheme

Health– ₹2.5 lakh offered as health insurance
– 1665 medical packages made available to children across the country
– Cashless and paperless processes to avail the benefits
Education– ₹5 lakh for college fee/higher education
– Direct transfer to the college account
– Up to 60,000 provided for the accommodation of a girl child
P.A.I– ₹2.5 Lakh life P.A.I
– Covers roughly about 250,000 children across the nation
– Direct transfer option available to the parent’s account within 14 days
Special benefits for girls– ₹3000 offered after admission to class 6
– ₹5000 offered after admission to class 8
– ₹7000 offered after admission to class 10
– ₹8000 offered after admission to class 12
– ₹2 lakh offered at age 21 for the purpose of self-employment.

In Conclusion

With such benefits in place, parents from the economically marginalised groups can now breathe easy as their financial burdens are now borne by the government. This gives children the chance to focus on their education and stops child labour just to have the house running.

Parents, encouraged by the benefits of this scheme, will now prioritize the health and education of their children, and that way, upliftment of people from Below the Poverty Line no longer stands to be an unachievable dream.