New Delhi: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh on Saturday launched a post-matric scholarship scheme for students belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) category.
The chief minister also virtually laid the foundation stones of projects worth Rs 50 crore at Amritsar’s Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal (Ram Tirath) to mark Valmiki Jayanti.
Launching Dr BR Ambedkar Post-Matric SC Scholarship Scheme, the Punjab chief minister said it will ensure that poor students get free higher education.
As per official statement, the Chief Minister distributed certificates of scholarships to students of Scheduled Caste (SC) and congratulated Valmiki Samaj for various schemes launched for Dalit community.
“The state scholarship scheme will ensure that poor SC students get a free higher education, which the Government of India had unfairly deprived them of with its abrupt withdrawal of central aid of Rs 800 crore to the state. The scholarship that is being launched without any financial contribution from the Centre, will provide a 100 per cent fee waiver for SC students to give them net savings of about Rs 550 crore,” said Captain Amarinder Singh.
The scheme, which will benefit more than 3 lakh poor SC students every year, will involve no upfront payment by these students to government/private educational institutions.
The institutes will provide free education to SC students under the scheme against direct subsidy from the state government, the chief minister announced.
