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Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009
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Cambridge announces Manmohan scholarships

Staff Reporter

Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI: The University of Cambridge on Monday announced a new scholarship programme for Indian students in honour of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Manmohan Singh Under-Graduate Scholarship Programme starting from 2010 will provide full funding, covering fees and means-tested maintenance for under-graduate study in any subject at any of the colleges that are part of the university.

A £1.5 million fund has been set up to support Indian students. It will be launched with gifts from Sir Evelyn and Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild through the Eranda Foundation and from the Sunil Bharti Mittal-led company Bharti Airtel. This was announced by Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Alison Richard at a press conference here.

“The university is honoured that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is such a distinguished Cambridge alumnus, has agreed to lend his name to this important initiative. This is another great example of the breadth and depth of the Cambridge-India partnership. As the programme develops, there are expected to be up to 10 Manmohan Singh under-graduate scholars studying at the university,” said Prof. Richard.

“This scholarship will be a need-based programme. Interested students can apply to the university or any of the 28 colleges under it. Of the selected students, scholarships will be awarded on the basis of their financial aid need, which will be assessed by the Cambridge Overseas Trust,” she pointed out.

In a message released by the university, Dr. Manmohan Singh said he was humbled by the honour and expressed confidence that the programme would not only help strengthen relations between the peoples of India and the U.K. but also serve “our shared objective of creating a better world based on equity and justice”.

Dr. Manmohan Singh graduated from Cambridge with a First in Economics in the late 1950s. The university that has now entered its 800th year of existence also launched three Manmohan Singh Scholarships for post-graduate students at St. John’s College, Cambridge, in 2007.

The university also established the Jawaharlal Nehru Professorship of Indian Business and Enterprise to honour India’s first Prime Minister. Prof. Jaideep Prabhu will be the first occupant of the Chair.

Cambridge University has over 200 students from India, 70 of whom are enrolled in various undergraduate courses.

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