Kerala Snehapoorvam 2026: eligibility, amount, how to apply and documents (Kerala only)

Snehapoorvam is a Kerala Government scheme, implemented by the Kerala Social Security Mission (KSSM) under the Social Justice Department, that gives monthly financial assistance to children who have lost one or both parents and live in a family with relatives, friends or community support. The amount is ₹300 to ₹1,000 a month, depending on the class. The application goes to the head of the child’s school or college before 31 October every year, and children below 5 apply through the child welfare committee. Details are as shown on the Mission’s website on 18 October 2026.

What is Snehapoorvam and who runs it?

Snehapoorvam is a Government of Kerala scheme that gives financial assistance to orphaned children who are brought up in a family, with relatives, friends or the support of the community. It is implemented through the Kerala Social Security Mission (KSSM), a charitable society sponsored by the Social Justice Department. The Mission’s headquarters is at Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram.

The Mission lists these objectives: to identify orphaned children in the community; to assess and prioritise children in the greatest need; to strengthen the family and community systems that protect orphans; to improve their basic education, social integration and nutrition; to encourage families to keep children at home instead of sending them to orphanages; and to help with the cost of education.

The Mission’s page says around 75,000 children below 18 live in orphanages in Kerala, and that 80 to 90 per cent of them have families or relatives. It does not say in which year Snehapoorvam started.

How much does Snehapoorvam pay each month?

The monthly amount rises with the child’s level of education. These are the rates shown on the Mission’s page on 18 October 2026:

Child’s level	Assistance per month
Below 5 years, and Class 1 to 5	₹300
Class 6 to 10	₹500
Class 11 and 12	₹750
Degree courses and professional degree courses	₹1,000

The page does not say for how many months a year the money is paid, or how the amount changes if a child moves to the next class during the year. The government can revise the rates, so check the Mission’s website before you rely on them.

Who is eligible for Snehapoorvam?

The Mission’s page gives these conditions:

• The child has lost the father or the mother, or both.
• The child is a student from first standard up to degree classes, or is below 5 years old.
• The child belongs to a BPL (Below Poverty Line) family.
• A child from an APL (Above Poverty Line) family qualifies if the annual income is below ₹20,000 in rural areas (local body or grama panchayat) or below ₹22,375 in urban areas (corporation or municipality). The application form asks for the family’s annual income.

Snehapoorvam is a Government of Kerala scheme, but the page does not spell out a residence rule or an age limit for degree students. If you are unsure, ask the school, the college or the Mission.

Who is not eligible?

The Mission’s page lists only who is eligible; it has no separate list of people who are not. Going by those conditions and the application form, these children do not qualify:

• A child who has not lost either parent.
• A child from an APL family whose annual income is ₹20,000 or more in a rural area, or ₹22,375 or more in an urban area.
• A child who is an inmate of an orphanage or another institution. The parent’s or guardian’s declaration on the form says the child is not such an inmate and goes to school from the guardian’s home. This fits the scheme’s aim of keeping children in a family.

The page says nothing about post-graduate students, students of unaided institutions, or the effect of other scholarships. Do not guess; ask the Mission.

What documents are needed?

The Mission’s page only says to apply with ‘necessary documents’ and gives no list. The Snehapoorvam form on the Mission’s Application Forms page asks for the items below. It is a scanned PDF, so read the latest form itself before you apply.

• Copy of the death certificate of the parent who died.
• Copy of the first page of the bank passbook showing name, address, the bank’s address and IFSC code. The form asks for a joint account in the names of the child and the guardian.
• Copy of the Aadhaar card (or the Aadhaar enrolment slip).
• Income certificate, or an attested copy of the BPL certificate or BPL ration card. The form asks BPL families for a certificate from the local body secretary and others for an income certificate from the village office.
• Certificate from the head of the school or college.
• A certificate from a local elected representative (mayor, chairman, president, councillor, member, MP or MLA) that the parent has died, the child is in the guardian’s care and depends on the guardian financially, and the child is not an inmate of an orphanage.
• For a child below 5 years: certificate from the chairman of the Child Welfare Committee.

The form also asks for copies attested by a gazetted officer.

How to apply for Snehapoorvam, step by step

As officially described on the Mission’s page:

1. Fill in the application and gather the necessary documents.
2. Submit them to the head of the government or aided school or college where the child studies, before 31 October of every year.
3. The head of the institution verifies the application and submits it through the online portal to the Executive Director, Kerala Social Security Mission.
4. Children below 5 years can apply directly to the Executive Director, KSSM, through the respective child welfare committee. The Application Forms page has a Snehapoorvam form for children below 5.

The form’s instructions say to fill in every column (incomplete applications are not considered), to write ‘Application for Snehapoorvam scheme’ on the cover, and to attach attested copies. For paper applications the form gives two addresses: applications from Kasaragod, Kannur, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts go to the Regional Director, KSSM Regional Office, Civil Station, Kozhikode; those from other districts go to the Executive Director, KSSM, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram. The page does not say where a school-going child can get the form; ask the school office.

How is the money paid, and how do I renew or check status?

Payment. The form says the assistance is paid through a bank account in the names of the child and the guardian. It says not to take an ATM card on this account and that money is withdrawn by cheque signed by both.

Renewal. To keep getting assistance in later years, the form says a certificate from the head of the institution must be completed at the start of every academic year and sent to the Mission’s office in Thiruvananthapuram. The decision part of the form says the child stays eligible for the amount for the class studied in the coming years as long as studies continue.

Status. The Mission pages read for this guide have no beneficiary list or online status check. To find out the status, ask the head of the institution who submitted the application, or contact the Mission office.

Common problems, help and recent changes

Common problems:

• Missed 31 October: the page gives no rule for late applications. Ask the school and the Mission at once.
• Incomplete form, unattested copies or wrong bank details: the form says such applications are not considered. Correct and submit again.
• No news after applying: the head of the institution submits the application online, so ask there first.

Contact (as on the Mission’s website, 18 October 2026): Kerala Social Security Mission, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695012. Phone 0471-2341200, fax 0471-2346016. Email socialsecuritymission@gmail.com. Website socialsecuritymission.gov.in. The Mission’s FAQ page does not cover Snehapoorvam, and its GO’s and Orders page says contents are to be updated soon.

Recent changes: the scheme pages show no revision dates. The Application Forms page lists a Snehapoorvam form for children below 5 (the file was uploaded in November 2025). Check the website for this year’s notice before you apply.