New Delhi: During the 2020-21 academic year, 7,723 students have benefited from the Pragati scheme, the All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE) said. The council has sanctioned RS 38.615 crore in 2020-21 for the scheme.
The scheme is aimed at providing financial assistance to girl students for pursuing technical education. Eligible students studying at AICTE-approved institutions receive Rs 50,000 per annum.
Over the past five years, scholarships have been given to thousands of students all across India, and it includes scholarships for girls from marginalized sections in the northeast region and Jammu Kashmir, the council said.
In 2020-21, AICTE distributed scholarships to 480 girl students in Jammu and Kashmir. In Assam, 244 girl students benefited from the scheme in 2020, compared to just one in the previous year, according to the council.
“In addition to these, 182 girl students from various institutions in Tripura were also selected under the Pragati scholarship scheme. In total 515 girl students from institutions in the North East Region were part of the scheme,” AICTE said.
Scholarships were also given to 10 girl students in the Andaman and Nicobar island, 62 in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and 11 in Ladakh.
In addition to these States and Union Territories, AICTE distributed 6,656 scholarships to students from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal in the academic year 2020-21.
“AICTE considers it as a privilege to work for the young female brains in the nation. This initiative is literally revolutionizing the educational sector in India by bringing more girl students to the technical forefront,” said AICTE Chairman professor Anil D Sahasrabudhe.