Minorities in Telangana to get Foreign Education Schemes

The students in Telangana from the minority communities could fall under a scheme in which they would be able to study in foreign universities for their higher studies. The scheme is expected to get formalized by the end of this month, as pointed out by the sources in the Telangana government.

Based on certain conditions and pre-requisite norms the students from the Scheduled Caste would get a grant of Rs 10 lakhs to undergo their higher studies in abroad. The scheme is based on the Ambedkar Overseas Vidya Nidhi (AVON) and is there to help the minority students in the state. For the scheme the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently announced a hefty sum of Rs 25 crore as the budgetary allocation. Guidelines of the scheme are expected to be close enough to that of the AVON and would soon get formalized.

According to officials from Minorities Welfare Department (MWD) the file which has assent of the chief minister regarding the scheme is already circulating for final permissions. If the same would get put up before the cabinet, this would need a note from the cabinet to pass. According to the official, “An income limit of Rs. 2.5 lakh per annum has been fixed. The age limit is 35. The funds will be released in two installments as and when the students get admission in the university. The fee of the visa will be reimbursed to the applicant once the visa and valid receipts are shown. The student will have to submit utilization certificates.”

The foreign universities are done with their spring intake in various institutions and universities. The MWD is thus planning to issue a government order (GO), in which the students can take benefit of the scheme before the fall intake into these universities and institutes.