Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 3: To begin implementation of one more recommendation of Dr C Rangarajan headed Expert Group on Employment in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has issued detailed guidelines of the Special Scholarship Scheme whereby 5000 fresh scholarships per annum would be given from the current year over the next five years to encourage the youth of State to pursue higher studies outside Jammu and Kashmir.
The Expert Group was constituted by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on August 18, 2010 in the context of enhancing employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir and to formulate jobs plan involving the public and private sectors.
Among the key recommendations of the Expert Group, which released its report in the month of March last year, one was about Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir to offer 5000 fresh scholarships per annum over the next five years to encourage youth to take advantage of the educational institutions of higher education in the rest of the country.
The Expert Group justified Special Scholarship Scheme on the ground that on one side it would enable the youth to optimize their full academic potential and turn to productive activities and on the other hand the scheme would provide J&K youth an opportunity to interact with their counterparts from rest of the country.
“Now, nearly one and half year following the release of Expert Group report, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has issued guidelines for the implementation of the Special Scholarship Scheme from the current year”, official sources said while informing that the Special Scholarship Scheme is in addition to the other scholarship schemes currently available to the J&K youth.
The Department of Higher Education of the HRD Ministry would provide tuition, hostel fees, cost of books and other incidental charges to the students belonging to Jammu and Kashmir, who after passing Class-XII or equivalent examination, secure admission in Government colleges and other select institutions outside the State, the guidelines said, adding out of 5000 fresh scholarship every year, 4500 would be for general degree courses, 250 for engineering and 250 for medical studies. The number of scholarships for engineering and medical studies would be kept flexible.
The students appearing for the Class XII or equivalent exam through the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education, pursuing general degrees, engineering and medical studies in Government colleges, institutes and other non-Government reputed institutes, located outside Jammu and Kashmir, would be eligible for scholarship under the scheme.
However, students pursuing courses through Open Universities would not be eligible under the scheme. Similarly, students availing of other scholarship schemes would not get any benefit under this scheme. Moreover, the students pursuing courses such as diploma courses not leading to award of a degree, will not be eligible under the scheme. Only those students would be entitled for benefit under the scheme the income of whose parents is below Rs 4.5 lakh per annum.
According to the guidelines, there will be internal earmarking of scholarship for SC, ST and OBC categories, as per the quota prescribed for the State. The general category students would be considered in case any quota remaining unfilled. Moreover, reservation of 3 % will be provided to the physically handicapped students.
The scholarship would be sanctioned based on the eligibility certificate, admission certificate and other documents, presented by the students through the college/ institute. The scholarship (as per the actuals certified by the institutions identified under the scheme) will be paid to the selected students by the Central Government through the college/ institute in which the student is studying.
In case the number of applicants exceeds the number of scholarships the awardees will be selected on the basis of marks scored by them in the Class XII or equivalent exam.
About the duration of scholarships and renewal, the guidelines said that scholarship would be kept renewed within subsequent classes subject to good conduct and maintenance of prescribed attendance. The students failing in one term or semester will get the scholarship in the following year subject to the condition that they will get the scholarship only for the maximum duration of the course—3 years for general degree courses, 4 years for engineering courses and 5 years for medical courses.
As far as rate of scholarship is concerned, tuition fee up to Rs 30,000 per annum for general degree courses or up to Rs 1.25 lakh per annum for engineering courses or up to Rs 3 lakh per annum for medical studies, including Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) would be given. The hostel fees and incidentals will also be given for all categories of courses and the ceiling for this will be Rs one lakh per annum. The course fee, hostel fee etc would be paid as per ‘actuals’. The charges in rented accommodation would be reimbursed as per certificate given by the Head of the College/ Institute regarding reasonableness of rates.
An inter-ministerial committee headed by Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development would ensure proper implementation of the scheme. Moreover, mid-term evaluation of the scheme would be conducted after two years of operation of the scheme.
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