Punjab Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on Monday said that various welfare schemes being run by the State Government for overall development of youth belonging to the minority communities would prove to be game changers and work wonders for them.
“The economic and social upliftment of the Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Parsi and Jain minority communities is the main aim of the Punjab Government, hence the sanction to various welfare schemes,” he said.
Dharamsot said that as per the ‘Merit-cum-Means Based Scholarship Scheme’, the students pursuing courses in the Punjab Government recognized State and National level institutions, like IIT, IIM; and those studying for technical or professional courses of graduate or post graduate level, would be benefitted.
The Minister also divulged that the students hailing from minority community studying in the institutions of Punjab and living in the hostels would be given scholarship to the tune of Rs10,000 annually, that is Rs1,000 per month for 10 months duration, and those studying in national level institutions of the likes of IIT, IIM would be given maximum Rs20,000 annual scholarship.
The Minister also revealed that a scholarship of Rs5,000 annually, that is Rs500 per month for 10 months period, would be provided to the day scholar students belonging to minority community who are studying in the institutions across the State, while the day scholars who are students of national level institutions would be provided a scholarship up to maximum Rs20,000.
Dharamsot added that the family income of those students availing scholarships under the scheme should not exceed Rs2.50 lakh annually and those students admitted in the new course would be eligible to avail scholarships who had secured minimum of 50 percent marks in the previous examination.
Under the scheme, the renewal scholarship for a new course would only be done in case of obtaining 50 percent marks in the previous exam, he said.
He said that only the students who are studying in institutions functioning in the State and those of the national level would be eligible to avail benefits of the scheme, who can apply until August 31 through online mode on www.scholarships.gov.in.