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More student scholarships sought for minorities in Rajasthan

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan State Minorities Commission has demanded a “fair share” from the new schemes mooted by the Centre for the minorities in the State. Considering the backwardness and the low literacy rate among the minorities here, the State should be provided with more student scholarships and fees concessions at institutions of higher education, it has said.

State Minorities Commission Chairman Sardar Jasbir Singh, who held discussions in Delhi with Hamid Ansari, Chairman of the National Minorities Commission, officials of the Ministry for Minorities and the Maulana Azad Educational Foundation, this week said the State would be keen to avail the benefits of the new programmes being made available to the minorities, with the introduction of a Bill to this effect in Parliament.

“The Centre is planning to announce 20,000 new scholarships for students from the minority groups with a financial component of Rs.20,000 each. I have also been told that 50 institutions of higher education, including IITs, IIMs and AIIMS would have minority students studying with full scholarship,” Mr. Singh informed. The eligibility for the scholarships would be on the basis of a minimum percentage in the entrance examinations for the wards of families with an annual income up to Rs.2.5 lakh,” he said.

“There is also a proposal to provide more than a lakh scholarships to students from minority groups at the secondary and the degree levels. There would be 50 per cent scholarships reserved for girls,” Mr. Singh informed. The new schemes include training programmes for appearing in civil service, engineering and other competitive examinations.

Mr. Singh said the Maulana Azad Education Foundation agreed to increase the number of post-metric scholarships for girls belonging to the minorities in Rajasthan from 135 to 270 this year. The scholarship, amounting to Rs.12,000 each, would be given to girl students who have passed with a minimum of 55 per cent marks in secondary examination and whose parents’ annul income is less than Rs.1 lakh.

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