After launching the Green Passage Scheme for orphan students to ensure that they get free-of-cost higher education from Plus II to Post-Graduation (PG) level, the State Government on Monday launched a new scheme ‘Kalinga Shikshasathi Yojana’ with an aim to provide an opportunity to meritorious students to pursue higher studies.
Announcing the scheme, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that under this scheme, the Government has decided to provide education loan to students at only one-per cent annual interest.
“This will be a major help for students undergoing higher education, including in Management, law, Engineering, Medical and other vocational fields,” said Patnaik.
The Government would meet the fund requirement of about Rs500 crore from its own resources.
“I fully understand the financial stress which parents, especially of the poor and middle classes, undergo in meeting the education cost of their children. This historic and pioneering step of my Government will reduce the loan burden of thousands of parents and will financially empower poor students to pursue their aspiration in higher education. I dedicate the scheme to the foresight of Bijubabu on his birth centenary. Bijubabu had instituted the Kalinga UNESCO award for popularisation of science when he was only 35 years old,” the Chief Minister said.