By TCN News
Delhi: When the results for the UPSC exams came out on Tuesday, it was a proud moment for Zafar Mahmood, President of the Zakat Foundation of India and everyone associated with the organisation. Out of the 1,078 successful candidates, 17 owed all their achievements to the efforts of the Foundation, which had funded almost all their hostel and tuition fees to help them prepare for the exams.
Talking to Twocircles.net, Mahmood said that nearly half of all the Fellows had cleared the exams, and this showed that there was no lack of talent, as long as they are given an opportunity. Mahmood added that although most students were from Kashmir and Kerala, the Foundation has helped students from all the states. “We have three hostels for men and one for women in Delhi and this helps students from all over the country prepare in the best environment possible,” he told Twocircles.net.
The Fellowship is also not limited only to Muslims: this year, two Christians from Kerala-Anna Sosa Thomas and Benson Samuel Ninan-who had been selected for the Foundation’s Fellowship, also cleared their UPSC exams. “We have been giving this Fellowship for the past eight years and in total, about 76 Fellows have cleared the UPSC exams. Out of them, about eight were non-Muslims,” Mahmood said.
Regarding the low representation of Muslims in Civil Services, Mahmood said that this partly because not enough Muslim candidates were giving the exams. “I believe that the participation from Muslims need to increase,” he added.
The Fellowship is given to students after conducting a written test and an interview, which are held in Delhi.
Once selected, the Foundation provides a hostel in Delhi at a subsidised rate of Rs 2,000 per month and pays upto 90% of the tuition fees that the students need to pay for IAS coaching.
The candidates are also provided the joint guidance and supervision of Zakat Foundation of India, Aishabai Trust and Interfaith Coalition for Peace in order to help them properly prepare for the Preliminary, Mains, and Interview for Personality Test for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. People who wish to apply for the scholarship to prepare for UPSC exams to be held in 2017 can visit this page for more information.