Overseas scholarship scheme for children of low-income families to study abroad: Punjab minister

Punjab cabinet minister Dr Baljit Kaur announced on Thursday that the state government will fully support children from low-income families who wish to pursue higher education abroad.

Addressing the media here, Kaur explained that this overseas scholarship scheme is designed for students from Scheduled Caste communities and landless agricultural labourers.

"We will select children whose parents have an annual income of less than Rs 8 lakh," Kaur stated while elaborating on the eligibility criteria for the scheme.

Aspiring students must have secured at least 60 per cent marks in their graduation and must be under the age of 35. Additionally, there will be a 30 per cent reservation for female aspirants, the social security minister stated.

The minister mentioned that a list of 500 top-ranked universities is available for aspirants to apply for admission. She assured that the government will bear the expenditure of visas, tickets, tuition fees, besides the annual maintenance allowance of Rs 13.17 lakh per year and contingency allowance of Rs 1.35 lakh.

"We stand firmly by the children of low-income families and will provide complete support for those who want to pursue higher education abroad," she said.