VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday disbursed Rs 45.53 crore under Jagananna Videshi Vidya Deevena to 357 students, who secured admission in the top 50 foreign universities for higher studies. The amount will be directly credited into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries’ mothers.
Terming the scheme a boon for qualified students from poor families, Jagan said, “The government is lending a helping hand to them to pursue higher education in the top educational institutions by bearing expenses of up to Rs 1.25 crore for students belonging to SCs, STs, BCs and minorities. A maximum sum of Rs 1 crore will be extended to students from other communities. This is an opportunity for them to change their fate and rule the world.”
Stating that Videshi Vidya Deevena is being implemented in a transparent manner, he explained that financial assistance to all eligible students is being distributed in saturation mode.“The initiative was introduced with the objective that parents of students, who have secured seats in foreign universities do not fall into a debt trap. Under the scheme, the government will assist the students starting from paying for the airfare and visa charges till the completion of their courses in the top 50 universities as per the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings and Times Higher Education Rankings,” he elaborated.
Videshi Vidya Deevena will help students pursue academic careers in 21 faculties across 320 educational institutions abroad, he highlighted. In a dig at the previous TDP regime, Jagan said, “SC, ST, BC, minority students got only Rs 15 lakh, while EBCs received Rs 10 lakh as an aid for higher education earlier.”
In a virtual interaction, some of the beneficiaries of the scheme thanked the Chief Minister. Shaik Amia Mobin of Nellore, a gold medalist in law, secured admission to the Queen Mary University of London for pursuing a Master's and was sanctioned Rs 28.10 lakh. “My dream of studying abroad is being fulfilled with the help of the government,” she said.
Sushma Sri of Madanapalle, a civil engineering graduate, secured a seat in University College London, while Charan Kumar Reddy got an admission to New York University. The scholars promised to help the society after completing their higher studies.