PM’S SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM GETS DELAYED START

25000 Students Studying Outside JK To Benefit

MUDDASIR ALI

Srinagar, Jan 23: After months of delay, authorities have started implementation of a recommendation by Dr C Rangarajan panel for providing financial support to students from Jammu and Kashmir pursuing higher studies outside the State.
A panel led by Chairman Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, Dr C Rangarajan, constituted in 2010 for recommending enhancing job opportunities in unemployment-ridden J&K, had suggested that State should be given 5,000 free scholarships annually for five years beginning 2011-12, varying from Rs 30,000 to Rs 3 lakh per annum for the students.
The National Scholarship Division, Department of Higher Education, Union Ministry of Human Resources Development has asked State School Education Department to set rolling Rs 1200 crore Special Scholarship Program from academic calendar 2011-12. It has also sought a detailed list of the students from JK Government who are pursuing higher studies outside the State to bring them under the ambit of the program.
“This Scheme is being implemented from the academic year 2011 -12. The scheme may be widely publicized. A list of the students who have gone out of the State to study may be sent to the department, along with the name and address of the institute in which they are studying, so that the scholarship could be remitted through the institutes,” reads an office memorandum by Director National Scholarship Division, CPS Nonghulo, to Commissioner/Secretary, Higher Education J&K, Tanveer Jahan.
In September last year Union Cabinet had approved the program, however it got delayed due to non-disbursement of funds by the Government of India which was followed by buck passing between JK Government and Union HRD Ministry.
As an immediate short term solution to make up loss of time and opportunities suffered by JK youth, the panel, which was constituted in the backdrop of the 2010 summer unrest in which more than 115 Kashmiri youth lost their lives, had proposed to encourage them to take advantage of the institutions of higher education in outside States.
“One way to do this is to give financial support through a special scholarship scheme. It would enable the youth to optimize their full academic potential and turn to productive activities besides providing them opportunity to interact with their counterparts from rest of the country. This would address the feeling of alienation, create bonds and allow the beneficiaries to join the mainstream and become a part of the India’s growth story,” the committee had recommended.
Jammu and Kashmir has more than 5.90 lakh educated unemployed youth registered with the Government.
The scheme was made applicable for courses in all Government Colleges/Universities, Engineering Institutions, Medical Colleges and some select private institutions to be identified by Government of India.
“Out of the 5000 scholarships per annum, 4500 scholarships (90%) could be for general degree courses, 250 for engineering (5%) and 250 for medical studies (5%). These scholarships would not only cover, subject to a normative ceiling, the full tuition fee but also hostel fee, cost of books and other incidentals. A possible annual normative ceiling for program fee could be Rs 30,000 for general degree courses, Rs 1.25 lakhs for engineering and Rs 3.0 lakhs for medical studies. The hostel fee and other incidentals could be capped at Rs 1.0 lakh per annum,” the experts group recommended.
“We expect that this five year window will be able to build capacities of the youth to enable them to compete in the normal course. It will be in addition to other scholarship schemes currently available,” the report said.
The Expert Committee had suggested to State Government to actively incentivize coaching centers from other States to establish branches in J&K.
Commissioner/Secretary, Higher Education, Tanveer Jahan told Greater Kashmir that the department has given publicity to the program in the State and national media.
Any student from the State who has appeared in 12th class examination from State’s Board of School Education or equivalent, pursuing general degree courses, engineering and medical studies in Government colleges/institutes/other non-Government “reputed” institutes outside JK would be eligible for the scholarship.
The students will require applying with the Higher Education Division of HRD Ministry through the institutes in which they are studying and the union ministry will in turn reimburse the scholarship through the institutes.
“Any student who is already pursuing studies in other states is also eligible under the program,” Jahan said.
The students will require submitting all the requisite documents to the college/institute in which he/she is securing admission which will in turn forward the list to the scholarship division of the Higher Education Department, HRD. Apart from Government colleges and institutes 51 non-Government colleges and technical institutes have been selected for the program. (www.greaterkashmir.com)