Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana

• 12 Aug 2025

Why in News? 

The Department of Posts has announced the Deen Dayal SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby) Yojana for the year 2025-26, offering scholarships to students from classes 6 to 9.  

• The selected students will receive a monthly scholarship of ₹500 to promote interest in philately. 

Key Points 

• Eligibility: The scholarship will be awarded based on academic performance, results from a quiz organized by the Department of Posts, and a philately project (philately is the collection and study of Postage stamps). 
  • Students who have secured a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent grades in the previous year's examination are eligible to apply.  
  • A 5% relaxation will be given to students from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.  
  • To apply, students must be members of their school's philately club, or if such a club doesn't exist, they must have an individual philatelic deposit account. 
  • Students can submit their applications at the Philately Bureau at the General Post Office (GPO).  
• Objective: The objective of the scholarship is to "Promote Philately among children at a young age in a sustainable manner that can reinforce and supplement the academic curriculum in addition to providing a hobby that can help them relax and de-stress". 
• Significance: Stamp collection provides educational insight into the socio-economic and political context of its time, serves as a stress-relieving hobby, fosters social connections, and enhances memory skills through organizing and cataloging information.

India Post

• Establishment: On 1st October 1854 by Lord Dalhousie (Governor-General of British India) 
• Historical Timeline 
  • 1766: Robert Clive set up postal system under East India Company (called "Company Mail") 
  • 1774: Warren Hastings opened Calcutta General Post Office- first public post office 
  • 1854: Lord Dalhousie brought postal service under British Crown 
• Current Network Size 
  • Total Post Offices: 164,999 Post Offices (Rural: 149,164 (90% of total) and Urban: 15,823) 
  • Global Status: World's largest postal network 
• Organizational Structure 
  • Ministry: Ministry of Communications, Government of India 
  • Circles: 23 postal circles across India 
• Services: 
  • Banking and financial services 
  • Postal Life Insurance (PLI) 
  • India Post Payments Bank 
  • E-commerce and retail services 
  • Government scheme disbursements (pensions, MGNREGA)