RTI for Rajasthan Social Justice — SC/ST Scholarship, Pension and Palanhar Scheme Records

Rajasthan's Social Justice & Empowerment Department administers one of the largest portfolios of welfare programmes in India — covering Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Economically Weaker Sections, elderly citizens, widows, persons with disabilities, and orphan or disadvantaged children. With roughly ₹10,000 crore disbursed annually across dozens of schemes and more than a crore beneficiaries across 33 districts, the department is simultaneously a lifeline for the most vulnerable sections of Rajasthan's population and a system prone to leakage, administrative delay, and opaque decision-making. The Right to Information Act, 2005, empowers every citizen — whether a scholarship applicant tracking a missing PFMS credit, a Palanhar family confronting an unexplained deletion, or a pensioner whose monthly payment has stopped — to demand a factual, official account from the department with a ₹10 application and a 30-day deadline.

The Schemes You Can Investigate Through RTI

Palanhar Yojana: Rajasthan's Unique Child Welfare Flagship

Launched in 2005, Palanhar Yojana is widely regarded as one of the most thoughtful and effective state welfare schemes in India. Rather than placing orphan and disadvantaged children in institutional care (orphanages or government homes), the scheme takes the opposite approach: it financially supports a close family member (Palanhar — literally "one who nurtures") to raise the child within a family environment. The state pays ₹1,500 per month per child for children between 0 and 6 years of age (subject to Anganwadi enrolment and attendance) and ₹2,500 per month for children between 6 and 18 years (subject to school enrolment and regular attendance). A further ₹2,000 per year per child is provided for clothing, footwear, and essentials.

The categories of children covered under Palanhar Yojana are deliberately broad to capture the full range of family-level adversity: orphans (both parents deceased), children of widows receiving state pension, children whose father is under a death sentence or life imprisonment, children of parents afflicted with HIV/AIDS, children of parents with a disability of 40% or more, children of mothers who have been deserted (nishakt), and children of divorced women. As of recent years, the scheme benefits approximately six lakh children across Rajasthan — a scale that makes administrative accuracy a genuine challenge. Annual renewal requires fresh verification of Anganwadi or school attendance, and this verification process has been the source of erroneous deletions — beneficiaries dropped without notice because the verification form was not processed, the Anganwadi worker did not submit a timely report, or a data entry error in the Shala Darpan or Jan Aadhar system marked the child as absent.

RTI is the most effective tool for investigating a Palanhar payment stoppage: it can compel the DSJO's office to disclose exactly when and why the benefit was discontinued, whether notice was given before deletion, which officer authorised the removal, and whether the child's enrolment was actually verified before the decision. This factual record is the foundation for a reinstatement complaint or, in persistent cases, a writ petition before the Rajasthan High Court.

Anuprati Coaching Scheme: Free Competitive Exam Coaching for SC/ST/OBC/EWS

The Chief Minister Anuprati Coaching Yojana provides free residential coaching and a maintenance stipend to students from SC, ST, OBC (Non-Creamy Layer), EWS, and MBC backgrounds for UPSC Civil Services, Rajasthan Administrative Services (RAS), JEE (engineering), NEET (medical), CLAT (law), and CA Foundation examinations. Coaching is provided through empanelled private institutes selected through a competitive tender process, and selected students receive a stipend of ₹40,000 per year (UPSC level) or ₹20,000 per year (other exams) for maintenance expenses. The scheme is competitive — selections are made district-wise and category-wise based on academic merit — and selection lists are meant to be publicly declared.

In practice, the selection and disbursement process has been opaque in some districts. Students who applied but were not selected have no easy way to verify whether the selection was made on merit. Students who were selected but did not receive the stipend have limited recourse without documentary confirmation of the disbursement record. RTI can obtain the complete selection list for a year and district, the disbursement records for each selected student, the names of empanelled institutes and the fees paid to them, and the fund utilisation statement for the scheme in the district — data that together allow independent verification of whether the scheme was administered transparently and funds were disbursed to actual beneficiaries.

Pension Schemes: IGNOAPS, State Old Age, Widow, and Disability

Rajasthan administers multiple pension schemes through the Social Justice & Empowerment Department, and the state is among the better-performing states nationally in pension delivery. The main schemes are:

• Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS): Centrally sponsored, providing ₹750/month (age 60–79) and ₹1,000/month (age 80+), with a state supplement that brings the effective pension above the central component alone.
• Mukhyamantri Vridha Samman Pension Yojana: State scheme for women aged 55 years and above and men aged 58 years and above, covering those not eligible for IGNOAPS.
• Widow Pension Schemes: Both the central IGNWPS and the state Mukhyamantri Ekalnari Samman Pension Yojana (covering widows, divorcees, and abandoned women from age 18 years).
• Disability Pension: IGNDPS (central) for BPL persons with 80% or more disability aged 18–79, and the state Mukhyamantri Vishesh Yogyajan Samman Pension Yojana for persons with 40% or more disability.

Payments are made via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the beneficiary's bank or post office account. Common problems include: bank accounts becoming dormant and rejecting the DBT transfer, pension stopped without notice because of a Jan Aadhar data mismatch, and delays in annual verification causing payment suspension. The Jan Soochna Portal (jansoochna.rajasthan.gov.in) publishes pension beneficiary lists publicly — check there first. For individual payment ledgers, suspension reasons, and official records of any administrative decision to halt a pension, RTI to the DSJO's office is the right instrument.

SC/ST/OBC Scholarships: Pre-Matric and Post-Matric

The Social Justice & Empowerment Department administers Pre-Matric scholarships (Class 1–10 for SC/ST students; Class 1–8 for OBC students) and Post-Matric scholarships (Class 11 onwards, including diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate courses) for eligible students. Applications are submitted through the National Scholarship Portal (scholarships.gov.in) or the Rajasthan state scholarship portal. Disbursements are made via PFMS through Fund Transfer Orders (FTOs) directly to the student's Aadhaar-linked bank account.

The single most common problem is an FTO marked as "Executed" on PFMS but money not received by the student — typically because the student's account is dormant (no transaction for 12 or 24 months), the account number or IFSC entered at application time was incorrect, or the bank returned the transfer to the government treasury. RTI to the DSJO's office can obtain the specific FTO number, date, amount, bank account details used, and the PFMS status code — information the student can then use to trace the credit at the bank or request re-initiation after correcting the account details.

Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana

While primarily a health department scheme, the Social Justice & Empowerment Department facilitates enrolment and premium payment for BPL, SC, ST, and contractual workers under Rajasthan's flagship health insurance scheme, which provides cashless hospitalisation up to ₹25 lakh per family per year. RTI can be used to verify whether a family's Chiranjeevi enrolment was processed and whether the premium was paid on their behalf.

How to File: Step by Step

Step 1: Determine the Right Authority

For most Social Justice & Empowerment RTI queries, the correct first authority is the District Social Justice & Empowerment Officer (DSJO) of the district where the scheme was applied for or where the beneficiary resides. The DSJO administers all major schemes at the district level — Palanhar, pensions, scholarships, and Anuprati. The Directorate at Jaipur is appropriate for state-level policy queries, directorate-level fund allocation and release statements, or when the DSJO is unresponsive.

Step 2: Check Jan Soochna Portal First

Before filing an RTI, visit the Jan Soochna Portal at jansoochna.rajasthan.gov.in. Under the Social Justice & Empowerment Department section, you can search Palanhar beneficiary lists, pension beneficiary lists, and scholarship payment status by district and block, often without needing to file a formal RTI. If the Jan Soochna Portal confirms your enrolment but payment has not arrived, or your name is missing despite applying, then an RTI targeting the specific gap (FTO status, deletion reason, pending verification) is the next step.

Step 3: Draft a Specific RTI Application

Use the sample application above as your starting point. Be as specific as possible: cite your Application ID, Scholarship ID, Pension ID, or Palanhar Beneficiary ID if you have it. Specify the academic year, the scheme name, and the exact information sought — whether it is an FTO number, a payment ledger, a deletion notice, or a disbursement list. Vague requests such as "all information about my scholarship" will yield vague responses. Numbered, specific factual queries compel specific factual answers.

Step 4: File Online or by Post

Online: File at rti.rajasthan.gov.in. Select the Social Justice & Empowerment Department and the relevant sub-office (DSJO of your district or the Directorate). Pay ₹10 by UPI, debit card, or net banking. Note the registration number.

By Post or In Person: Address your application to the CPIO, District Social Justice & Empowerment Officer, District Name, Rajasthan, and send it by registered post with acknowledgement due. Enclose a ₹10 Indian Postal Order in favour of the Accounts Officer of the DSJO's office. BPL cardholders are exempt — attach a copy of the BPL card. Retain the postal receipt; the 30-day response clock starts from the date of receipt by the CPIO.

Step 5: Track and Follow Up

The CPIO must respond within 30 days under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. If the matter involves the life or liberty of a person, the response deadline is 48 hours under the proviso to Section 7(1). Track your application status on the Rajasthan RTI portal using your registration number.

Detailed Information You Can Request

Scholarship Disbursement (PFMS)

1. The FTO number, FTO date, amount, bank account (last four digits), bank name, IFSC, and PFMS status for Scholarship Application ID XXX for academic year YYYY-YY under the Pre-Matric / Post-Matric SC/ST/OBC scholarship scheme — whether the FTO is processed, credited, failed, or returned, and if returned, the bank's return reason code
2. Whether a fresh FTO has been generated for the above application after any prior return or failure — if yes, the new FTO number and date; if no, the reason it has not been re-initiated
3. The total number of FTOs generated for district under the Post-Matric SC/ST scholarship scheme for academic year YYYY-YY — the number successfully credited, the number returned/failed, and the total amount remaining uncredited as on the date of this RTI response

Pension Payment Records

4. Month-wise pension payment record for beneficiary Name, Pension ID if known, Village/Ward, Tehsil, District under scheme name for the 12 months from Month YYYY to Month YYYY — amount paid each month, mode of payment, and whether any month's payment is pending, withheld, or discontinued with reasons
5. Whether the pension of the above beneficiary was suspended or discontinued at any point in the last 12 months — if yes, the date of suspension, the reason, the name and designation of the officer who authorised the suspension, and whether notice was given before suspension
6. The annual verification record for the above beneficiary for the year YYYY — whether the Life Certificate / verification form was submitted, when it was submitted, and whether it was accepted

Palanhar Yojana Records

7. The complete list of Palanhar Yojana beneficiaries (Palanhar name, child name, age, category of entitlement, monthly assistance amount) for Block Name Block, District Name District, for the year YYYY-YY, along with the payment status for each beneficiary for the current financial year
8. The record of deletion or suspension of Palanhar benefit for beneficiary Palanhar Name, Village Name, Tehsil Name — the date, reason, name of the officer who authorised deletion, whether a notice was served before deletion, and whether the child's Anganwadi/school enrolment was verified before the decision

Anuprati Coaching Scheme Records

9. The selection list for students from District Name District selected under CM Anuprati Coaching Yojana for the year YYYY — name, category, exam category, coaching institute allotted, and stipend disbursement status for each selected student
10. The fund allocation and disbursement statement for CM Anuprati Coaching Yojana in District Name District for the year YYYY — total amount allocated, amount disbursed to students, amount paid to coaching institutes, and unspent balance with reasons

Fund Utilisation and Audit

11. The scheme-wise fund allocation and utilisation statement for Social Justice & Empowerment Department in District Name District for the financial year YYYY-YY — funds received from state government, funds spent, scheme-wise breakup, and unspent balance with reasons
12. The number of social audit / field verification exercises conducted by the DSJO's office for Palanhar Yojana and social security pensions in District Name District during financial year — the blocks covered, findings, and action taken on discrepancies

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days, or provides an incomplete or evasive response, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) — an officer senior to the CPIO, typically the Deputy Director or Joint Director, Social Justice & Empowerment, within the same office. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is required. The FAA must decide within 30 days (extendable to 45 days with written reasons).

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Rajasthan State Information Commission (RSIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's deadline. No fee is payable. The RSIC is constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act as the apex information commission for all Rajasthan state government bodies. The Central Information Commission (CIC) has no jurisdiction over the Social Justice & Empowerment Department or any other Rajasthan state government body — the second appeal must go to the RSIC, not the CIC.

The RSIC can direct the CPIO to furnish the information and impose a personal penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000 maximum) on the CPIO under Section 20 of the RTI Act for obstructing or failing to provide information without reasonable cause. Scholarship FTO records, pension payment ledgers, Palanhar beneficiary lists, and Anuprati disbursement statements are standard administrative records — they attract no Section 8 exemption under the RTI Act, and any CPIO who refuses to provide them on grounds of exemption is likely to be overruled on appeal.

For Rajasthan citizens navigating the Social Justice & Empowerment Department — whether you are a student whose scholarship credit never arrived despite the PFMS showing it as executed, a Palanhar family whose monthly assistance was stopped without any communication, a pensioner whose payment was suspended after an annual verification you completed, or a student who suspects the Anuprati selection process in your district was not merit-based — the RTI Act is your statutory right to an official, documented answer. The ₹10 application and the 30-day deadline are powerful tools. Use Jan Soochna first to check what is already in the public domain; then, for everything that requires accountability, an explanation, or a certified record, file the RTI.