Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, May 10: As part of its continuing programmes to promote the interests of the erstwhile Baridar families, Dr Piyush Singla, Additional Chief Executive Officer of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board distributed Rs 61 lakh scholarships to students belonging to the erstwhile Baridar families for the last academic session.
Furnishing a report to Governor N N Vohra, Chairman Shrine Board, Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board, informed that under the Scholarship Scheme for students belonging to the erstwhile Baridar families, during 2002-03 to 2015-16, the Shrine Board has provided more than Rs. 2.90 crore as scholarships to 7199 meritorious students of these families.
Under this Scheme, special emphasis is being given for promoting the education of girls by providing them scholarships at a higher scale. Depending upon their gender the students studying in class I to the post-graduation level are provided scholarships ranging from Rs 1800 to Rs 14400 per annum.
Scholarships to those studying in I-XII class in Government schools are given to the top 10 meritorious students, based on their class-wise internal merit. Scholarships to Undergraduate and Post-Graduate Degree Course students are paid by the Shrine Board to all the students belonging to the erstwhile Baridar families who may be studying anywhere in the country, provided the family of the beneficiary student normally resides in the rural areas surrounding the Trikuta Hills.