Over 55k minority students given merit-cum-means scholarships in 3 yrs

By TwoCircles.net news desk,

Patna: Under the merit-cum-means scholarship scheme launched by the Central government in 2007 to help minority students get higher education including technical and professional, more than 55 thousand students from the minority communities have benefited in the last three years.

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The scheme being implemented through State Governments/Union Territory Administrations is available for pursuing professional and technical courses, at under-graduate and post-graduate levels, in institutions recognized by the appropriate authority under the scheme.

20,000 scholarships are proposed to be awarded every year, of which 30% are earmarked for girl students. The left-over part of this women quota may be utilized by boy students, if an adequate number of eligible girl students are not available.

Seventy institutes for professional and technical courses have been listed in the scheme. Eligible students from the minority communities who admitted to these institutions will be reimbursed full course fee while a course fee of Rs.20, 000/- per annum will be reimbursed to students studying in other institutions.

The condition to be eligible for the scholarship is that a student should have secured admission in any technical or professional institution, recognized by an appropriate authority. In case of students admitted without a competitive examination, students should have secured not less than 50% marks. The annual income of the family from all sources should not exceed Rs.2.50 lakhs.

Since the scheme was launched in 2007 till September 30, 2009 the Central Government has sanctioned 55683 scholarships. For the 11th Five Year Plan the government has set a target of 2,55,000 scholarships on which about Rs 600 crore is expected to be spent. The year-wise details are given below.