20 students to get govt fillip to study abroad

MUMBAI:THE state has decided to provide scholarship to needy students, from all castes and communities, for studying abroad.

Students from open category and those from Other Backward Classes (OBC), Vimukt Jaati Nomadic Tribe (VJNT) and Special Backward Class (SBC) communities will be able to avail benefits of the scheme. Each year, 20 students will be selected as beneficiary for the scheme, for which, the state has decided to make a provision of ₹20 crore. The decision was taken at the state cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

“The state’s higher and technical education department will select 20 students every year. Of 20 seats, 10 have been reserved for open category students and rest for reserved category students. The state has reserved 30% seats (6) for female students,” said a senior official from the higher and technical education department.

So far, the scheme was limited for students coming from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. The scholarship will be provided as follows — two year for post-graduation, four years for PHD and one year for post graduation diploma courses.

“The scheme will cover to and fro economy class air tickets, tuition fees and monthly accommodation allowance. For the first time, we have decided to introduce health insurance for them, which is a major issue for students studying abroad,” said Saurabh Vijay, secretary of the department. The selection of students will be based on the eligibility criteria, which includes family income, past educational record and world ranking of the concerned university, he said.

For open category families, the annual income should not be more than ₹20 lakh, while for students from reserved categories, the annual income should not be more than ₹8 lakh.the decision will also benefit students from the Maratha community, which has been demanding reservation benefits in the state.