The candidates whose mother tongue is not Hindi and who belong to any of the following States/Union Territories are eligible for scholarship: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamilnadu, Tripura, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadar Nagar Haveli, Goa, Daman & Diu, Lakshdweep, Mizoram and Pondicherry.

The award is given on the basis of results of examinations next below conducted by the Board of Education/University/Voluntary Hindi Organisation and passed in the first attempt.

Following categories of candidates are not eligible for the award:

(a) Candidates who belong to non-Hindi Speaking State but have been residing for any purpose for more than 5 years.

(b) Candidates in employment (full or part time) unless they are sponsored by the State Government/UT Administration;

(c) Candidates who wish to pursue their studies through correspondence/privately;

(d) Candidates who are preparing for two courses simultaneously unless Hindi is one of the subjects of study in both these courses. A candidate in receipt of this scholarship (which is treated as an incentive to learn Hindi) is not barred from receiving any other scholarship. Scholars studying for Ph.D. course can be permitted to accept remuneration for teaching; if it is a part of study/research.