Electronic payment of scholarships in andhra pradesh PRESENTATION BY M.PRASHANTI, IAS Joint Collector (Trainee), Hyder

1. Electronic payment of scholarships in andhrapradeshPRESENTATION BYM.PRASHANTI, IASJoint Collector (Trainee),Hyderabad Dist.Andhra Pradesh

2. Scholarships in Andhra Pradesh: • Flagship program of the Government • Transition from means cum merit basis to Saturation mode: • Any student whose family income is less than one lakh is eligible for a scholarship under the new scheme • Assistance given to all communities on a Saturation mode: • Scheduled Caste – Social Welfare Department • Scheduled Tribe – Tribal Welfare Department • Backward Class – BC Welfare Department • Disabled Groups – Women & Child Welfare Department • Economically Backward Classes - BC Welfare Department • Minorities – Minority Welfare Department • Large volume of disbursement – 28.00 Lakh Students; Rs. 4,500 Cr • Social Welfare Department is the Nodal Agency

3. Post Matric Scholarships at a glance • PMS includes: • RTF: Reimbursement of Tuition Fee - College • MF: Maintenance fee – Student • Income ceiling: • - Rs. 1:00 lakh PA for BC/EBC/Minorities/Disabled. • - Rs. 2.00 lakh PA for SCs/STs. • Fully administered online since 2010-11 http://epasswebsite.cgg.gov.in by welfare departments

4. PMS Trends:

5. PMS Complexity: • 1600 unique courses. • 10934 colleges • 1,44,000 fee combinations • 26,00,000 students • Around Rs.4000 crs worth PMS claims per year • Coordinating with 5 Welfare Departments i.e., Social Welfare, Tribal welfare , BC & EBC Welfare, Disabled Welfare & Minority Welfare & also with Higher Education, Technical Education, School Education, Board of Intermediate, Directorate of Employment & Training & Health Dept., etc. • Also deals with all Universities in the State along with the 188 Premier Institutes indentified by GOI across India. • Deal with all Scheduled banks & Treasury Dept.

6. PMS - Analysis of Expenditures: • Group 21% of the professional course students consume 58% of the total Scholarship outlay; 45% students in Group IV account for only 15% of the Scholarship amount.

7. Disbursements of Scholarships Transition from a manual to a fully online system…

8. Manual Procedures - Cumbersome 1 2 3 4 Notification Blank Application Filling Form Submit Manual process -Cumbersome & Time consuming, Large number of scholarships Less Staff Unable to cope up with work load Corruption Frustration in the student community 8 7 6 5 Checking Receive/Ack. Field Inspect & verification Consolidate&send 10 11 12 12 9 Segregate into Fresh / Renewal Calculation Inst. Wise list Eligibility/Reject 14 13 16 15 Handle queries Dispatch D.D Preparation of D.Dt Prep. Proceedings 18 19 17 20 Cross verify Reconcile Report Progress Disb. By Inst. 23 22 21 24 Recover Revalidate DDs Check dual claims Closure

9. Pitfalls of the Manual System: • Driven by the Department • Large number of students – no control or check • Fake scholarships; double claims; Bogus colleges • Cumbersome procedures • Inordinate delays in processing • Inappropriate release of budgets in time • Checks of students given to colleges who often collaborate to misappropriate • Student frustrated and unaware of the status

10. Highlights of online sanction of Post Matric Scholarships • Multi-Departmental: Disbursement for five welfare Departments (BC,EBC,SC,ST,DW). • Disbursement to 26.00 lakh Students studying in AP and other states online. • Total web based application - Student application – online processing and sanction – online upload to treasury – remittance online to colleges and student bank account. • Low cost of ownership of software through open source technologies. • First of its kind in India linking State Treasury and Banks online. • First of its kind project in India using eZ-Pay (Pre-loaded) ATM cards of SBI for student bank accounts. – 16.5 lakh accounts

11. Online sanction Highlights • Grievance Reddressal System for Students, Colleges, Officers. • Change requests from HOD’s online. • Email & SMS based tracking and Grievance Reddressal System. • Virtual private network with all welfare officers of different department - using APSWAN. • Virtual Private Network (VPN) - between CGG and Treasury. • Interface through web-services with Universities/Boards for Attendance, Performance, Fees etc. • Interface with Counseling Centre's – type of admissions`. • User-friendly and real time. • Payments to bank Accounts • Transparent Process for colleges, students, departments • Unique identity based on SSC registration No. • Meeseva Caste & Income Certificates made compulsory for scholarship holders. • It is proposed to automate certificate verification by procuring bar code readers.

12. Verification of Aadhar thru remote Aadhar seeding framework (RISF) and confirmation of bank account followed by Aadhar seeding of Bank accounts thru lead Bank Managers. Work Flow of the Online Scholarship System

13. Role of ASWOs • As an inspection officer, every ASWOs/ABCWOs/ ATWOs has to verify applications of SCs/STs/BCs/EBCs/DWs/Minority students. • Every ASWO is given separate User ID & Password to login for processing of PMS applications. • In respect of PMS, ASWO is acting as Verification Officer. • ASWO has to conduct awareness meetings (live demo) to the Principals of his/her jurisdiction on online process of scholarships at Principal’s level & also to conduct awareness meetings with students & Students associations on online application of Post-Matric Scholarships. • Wide publicity shall be given on PMS through print media. • ASWOs has to collect the booklets (hard copies of applications) from the college Principals & update them online. After updation, allotted colleges will be displayed at ASWOs login. • ASWO has to inform the date of verification to the concerned college Principals well in advance so that students could be made available on that date Contd.

14. Role of ASWOs • ASWO has to conduct 100% physical verification & verify all necessary records available in the college. • While verification records, ASWO/VO has to put a stamp consisting study details of student on the overleaf of SSC certificate. • After due verification of all necessary documents enclosed to the hard copy of application form, ASWO/VO has to put his remarks as “Recommended/not recommended”. If recommended, type of scholarship like DS/SMH/CAH/DAH is to be furnished. • All eligible applications shall be recommended & forward to District Welfare Officers through online. • Submit booklets after due recommended by ASWO/VO to the concerned District Welfare Officer. • If any application found ineligible put his remarks & submit online as well as hard copy.

15. Key changes introduced

16. Key Changes: Students • Apply for fresh registration online • Apply for renewals online • Students cannot enter names • Only retrieve data through the SSC/ Inter Database through ID’s • Students must have a bank account • Students who do have an account are given eZ pay card of SBI • Student can access the site though a user id ( email id) and password (sent to email accounts)

17. Key Changes: Colleges • Colleges must register on the website • Give details of recognitions, capacity, bank accounts, management details etc • Principals of colleges will have to verify each of the student applications: • Print and prepare booklets for fresh and renewal students department wise. • Contact the verification officer for getting the verification done for sanction of scholarships

18. Key Changes: Verification • District Collectors appoint verification officers • Physical Verification of students and Documents • Results of verification updated online • Recommended candidates are forwarded to the district officer • Rejected applications are either sent to the colleges or students for rectification

19. Key Changes: Welfare Department • Authenticate colleges on the e-Pass website • All colleges must register on the website • Processing and sanction online: • Scrutiny and Sanction of Bills • Each bill value is pegged at Rs. 3.00 Crores • Forward bills to treasury online • Treasury Bill Register Number generated for every bill sent

21. Sanction Process is simple…

23. Key Changes: Treasury • Receive a paper copy of the Scholarship Bill and an online copy • Comparison and Verification • Sanction of Bills online • Automatic upload to banks online • Through common internet banking interface • Interbank; Intrabank • NEFT & RTGS • Return confirmations online • Remittance to banks and reconciliation

24. Project Management Unit: • Ensures the smooth administration of the online system. • Dy. Director from all Welfare Departments • key task - updated masters and address key issues: • Institution Master • Dept. Hostel Master • College-Course Mapping & College Officer Link Master - Registration • Course Master & University Course Mapping • Course Fee Entry Form & Fee Confirmation • Budget Master • Student SSC Details Edit • Help Desk Functions

25. User friendly Reports

27. Scholarship schemes included under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme • Govt. of India have issued instructions to sanction scholarships through DBT from the current financial year • DBT to be administered through Aadhar payment bridge • Aadhar card made mandatory to implement DBT • Seeding of Aadhar cards taken up in bank accounts of scholarship holders • RASF service given for verification of student details viz-a-viz the Aadhar card details for authentication • Necessary changes made in treasury to implement DBT • Bank specific codes obtained from NPCI to implement DBT • Aadhar made financial address of student

28. Problems & steps taken to implement DBT • Poor enrolment of Aadhar among scholarship holders is a bottleneck in the implementation of DBT. • Aadhar enrolment centres limited in number and capacity of each centre is also limited to capturing data of about 70 individuals per day. • District collectors have been instructed to take up drive for Aadhar enrolment of scholarship holders in the summer holidays by opening special centres for students. • The Aadhar card numbers submitted by the students are being validated and the validated list is communicated to lead Bank Managers of the concerned districts for Aadhar seeding in the concerned Bank of the students. The seeding process has to be expedited. • Aadhar authentication is done with point of sale machines by accessing data from e-pass which is in turn connected to the Aadhar database. • Colleges have been instructed to purchase Aadhar authenticating machines for biometric verification of scholarship holders & for enabling sanction of scholarships and disburse through AEP. • Pilot projects were successfully carried out in two Engineering Colleges in April 2013.

29. PoS Devices

30. PoS DEVICES • To be procured by each college. • Device to be compatible with Aadhar norms • GPRS enabled. • Click on the ePASS and enter the application id • Check the details and click on Authenticate • Finger Print Reader glows • Ask the student to place the finger • If the confirmation is true it will be available for verification and if false , invalid the application is rejected. • Some of the vendors—Analogics, Ingenico, Visiontek,

31. Bar code Reader

32. Digital Signature Pad

33. Digital Signature Pad • Connect the digital signature pad • Install the apps/drivers • Click against the student record • Signature screen populates • Ask the student to sign on the pad with the digital pen • Principal or the concerned also to sign • Some of the Vendors—WACOM, iball, Topaz

34. Thank u