Government of India
About Dr. Ambedkar Foundation (DAF)
What is the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation?
The Dr. Ambedkar Foundation (DAF) is an autonomous body set up under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. It was established to manage and administer long-term schemes and programmes identified during the Centenary Celebrations of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
When was the DAF established?
The Foundation was established on March 24, 1992, based on the recommendations of the Centenary Celebrations Committee of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, which was headed by the then Prime Minister of India.
What are the main objectives of the DAF ?
The primary objective of DAF is to promote and propagate Babasaheb’s ideology, philosophy and message and also to administer Schemes which emanated from the Dr. Ambedkar Birth Centenary Celebration Committee’s recommendations.
Dr. Ambedkar Medical Aid Scheme
What is the objective of this scheme?
The scheme provides financial assistance to patients from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) suffering from serious ailments that require surgery or life-threatening disease treatments.
Which diseases are covered?
It covers surgeries for Kidney, Heart, Liver, Cancer, and Brain, as well as organ transplants, spinal surgery, and other life-threatening conditions.
Who is eligible for medical aid?
Applicants must belong to the SC or ST community and have a total annual family income not exceeding ₹3,00,000.
Where can I receive treatment under this scheme?
Treatment must be sought at recognized hospitals, including all AIIMS, state government medical colleges, and all hospitals approved under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).
Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Award Scheme
What are these awards for?
These awards recognize and financially assist meritorious SC and ST students who have excelled in their Secondary (10th) and Senior Secondary (12th) School Examinations.
What is the eligibility criteria for the Secondary (10th) Award?
Students must belong to SC or ST categories and have scored at least 50% aggregate marks in their 10th-grade examinations from a recognized State or Central Board.
Is there a separate award for Senior Secondary (12th) students?
Yes, there is a specific merit award scheme for SC students who have completed their Senior Secondary examination with atleast 50% aggregate marks from a recognized State or Central Board.
How are the awards distributed?
The Foundation provides a one-time cash award to top-performing students across various boards in India, which is directly credited to the students’ bank accounts.
Dr. Ambedkar Chairs Scheme
What is a 'Dr. Ambedkar Chair'?
It is a research and teaching unit established in various universities to study and propagate the ideas of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
What is the primary focus of these Chairs?
They focus on research, teaching, and extension activities related to socio-economic development, justice, and the empowerment of weaker sections of society.
Where are these Chairs located?
There are currently 25 Chairs established across various Central Universities, premier Institution and Colleges.
Dr. Ambedkar Scheme for Celebration of Birth /Death Anniversary of Great Saints
What does this scheme support?
It provides grant-in-aid to NGOs/ Universities/ Colleges etc to celebrate the birth or death anniversaries of great saints who worked for the cause of the downtrodden and social equality.
What documents are required for the application?
Applicants must provide a registration certificate, annual reports, audited accounts for the last two years, a detailed write-up on the saint, and an item-wise budget for the celebration etc.
Dr. Ambedkar Centre of Excellence (DACE) - Free Coaching Scheme
What are the projects for which assistance is given by the Ministry?
The ministry currently extends assistance to Non-Governmental Organizations working for the welfare of disadvantaged sections of the society like Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Minorities, the Aged, Drug Addicts, Street Children, Disabled under schemes separately designed to address these target groups. Generally all these schemes support projects in the area of education, training, rehabilitation of the targeted groups. Recurring expenditure on components such as honorarium to staff, other recurring non-honorarium items such as rent, food expenses, contingencies, stipend to trainees/students, transport allowances and non recurring items such as furniture, equipments, construction of building etc are supported under these projects.
Who is eligible to apply for this free coaching?
SCs and OBCs: Students must have a total family income of ₹8.00 lakh or less per year.
PM CARES Beneficiaries: All verified beneficiaries are eligible without any income or caste restrictions.
Note: Students must have valid Aadhar numbers and can avail the benefit of this Scheme, not more than twice.
Is there any financial assistance provided to students?
Yes. Apart from free coaching, eligible students receive a monthly stipend of ₹4,000 for the duration of the course.
Additionally, students who clear the Mains stage of Central Civil Services exams/State Civil Services are eligible for a one-time incentive of ₹15,000 for interview preparation.
How can one apply for this scheme?
Applications are invited by the respective Central Universities through online mode. Offline applications are not accepted.
Dr. Ambedkar Foundation Essay Competition
Who can participate in the Essay Competition?
The competition is open to students of recognized Schools (Class 10th to 12th) and Colleges/Universities/Institutions.
Which languages can the essay be written in?
Essays can be written in English and 22 Indian languages (as per the 8th Schedule of the Constitution), including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Urdu, and others.
How do one submit the essay?
Participants must submit one clean typed copy of the essay along with their details (Name, Address, School/College, Bank Details, etc.) to the designated Dr. Ambedkar Chair or organizing body.
Dr. Ambedkar Scheme for Social Integration through Inter-Caste Marriages & Dr. Ambedkar National relief to the scheduled castes/scheduled tribes victims of Atrocities
Are these schemes still run by Dr. Ambedkar Foundation (DAF)?
No. With effect from 01 April 2023, both schemes have been merged with the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. DAF no longer accepts new applications.
Where should beneficiaries apply now for Inter-Caste Marriage and Atrocity Relief cases?
With effect from 01 April 2023, all applications must be submitted through the Social Welfare Department of the respective State Government/Union Territory:
Inter-Caste Marriage Cases – Apply as per procedures under the PCR Act, 1955 scheme run by the concerned State/UT Government.
Atrocity Cases – Apply as per procedures under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 scheme run by the concerned State/UT Government.