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| - An article's screenshot is doing the rounds on the internet to claim that the government is providing free coaching under PM CARES to only students belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
What did the viral post say?: An X (formerly Twitter) premium user shared the clip with a caption that said, "Unbelievable! Only SCs and OBCs are eligible for free coaching under PM CARES. Same govt that wins elections with the slogan ‘Batoge toh katoge’."
The post had garnered over a lakh views on the platform. Archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.
What are the facts?: The claim is misleading.
The article seen in the viral screenshot talked about the government introducing an updated scheme to provide coaching to children covered PM CARES scheme along with students from SC and OBC communities.
The PM CARES for children scheme does not carry any caste or income-based restriction.
How did we find that out?: On searching for the headline on Google, we found the same article published in The Hindu on 21 February.
It said that the government had introduced an updated scheme to provide coaching to children covered under the PM CARES scheme along with students belonging to SC and OBC communities.
The scheme was originally launched during the sixth five-year plan, which has undergone multiple revisions over the years.
The update extended the benefits to PM CARES beneficiaries, which meant that the caste and income-related restrictions were lifted for these students.
These students will receive coaching for different competitive examinations.
What did the guidelines say?: We found a document published by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment that carried the updated guidelines.
It said that eligible candidates will be provided quality education to enable them appear in different competitive examinations.
The scheme was originally started during the sixth five-year-plan.
Under this scheme, around 3500 students will be selected annually. Students belonging to SC and OBC with family income of Rs 8 lakh or less would be eligible under the scheme.
However, it did not mention any income or caste-related restrictions for PM CARES children scheme beneficiaries.
PM CARES for children scheme eligibility criteria: Team WebQoof went through the guidelines available for the children eligible under the said scheme.
It mentioned that those children [under 18] who lost both parents, surviving parent, or legal guardian during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to December 2021 would be eligible for the scheme.
The scheme did not carry any caste or income-based restrictions.
Conclusion: It is clear that the claim about only students belonging to SC and OBC communities will receive free coaching under PM CARES is misleading.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
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