2017-11-13 Mon

To promote Philately in the country, a scholarship program named Deen Dayal SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude and Research in Stamps as a Hobby) Yojana was introduced by the Indian Government for school children.

Philately includes collection, appreciation and research activities on stamps and philatelic products. The field also includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organising, cataloguing, displaying, storing, and maintaining the stamps based on various themes. One can learn about the socio-economic-political reality of the period in which the stamp is released through this hobby.

A total of 920 scholarships have been proposed. Every Postal Circle will award a maximum of 40 scholarships, worth Rs. 6000 per annum, for 10 students each from class 6, 7, 8 and 9.

The candidate must have scored at least 60 percent marks or an equivalent grade/grade point in the recent final examination. He or she should be a part of a Philately Club organised by their school. In case the school does not have a Philately Club, the student must have his own Philately Deposit Account.

A project work on Philately will be evaluated and performance in Philately Quiz conducted by the Circles will also be considered. Those who fulfill the criteria would be eligible for the annual scholarship and selected students can compete for it again, the following year as well.