Four hundred fifty eight meritorious students
belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are to get
scholarships each year to assist them in pursuing higher studies.
Dr. Ambedkar Foundation of the Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment will give the Scholarships under Dr. Ambedkar National
Scholarship Scheme from this year. The Dy. Prime Minister Shri
L. K. Advani will inaugurate the Scheme by giving away scholarships
to some of the awardees at a function here on February 17, 2003.
The Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr. Satyanarayan
Jatiya, will preside over the function.
The Ambedkar National Scholarship will be given
to three students each belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes having scored highest marks in regular class X level
examination conducted by the Education Board / Council. A special
award has been instituted for the girl student securing highest
marks in case she is not among the three meritorious students.
The student securing highest marks in each Board will receive
Rs.60,000 as scholarship while the student securing second highest
marks would receive Rs.50,000 and the student with third highest
marks would get Rs.40,000.
In order to benefit more students in view the
large SC & ST population, the Foundation has also instituted
250 special merit scholarships for students securing next higher
marks after 1st, 2nd and 3rd
positions. Of these 167 have been earmarked for SC students
and 83 for ST students in 35 States and Union Territories. Ten
thousand rupees will be given for each of these special awards.
There are 26 Education Boards/ Councils in the country and the
total financial implication under the Scheme would be Rs.125.88
lakhs per annum.
