New Delhi: ThePrint has learned that the Army, which runs several schools and training institutes in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, has stepped up its outreach program and this year 600 students will be sponsored for university education outside the two union territories, ThePrint told ThePrint. come to know.
The Army’s Northern Command will sponsor the education of these students through its ‘Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Special Scholarship Scheme’ launched in 2021.
Scholarships will be given only to those who need financial assistance. In addition, students who get the scholarship will have to pay a lump sum payment of Rs 30,000 as security deposit and admission fee. However, the remaining tuition fees, accommodation and catering fees will be covered by the scholarship.
Sources in the Defense and Security Establishment told ThePrint that 311 students were given scholarships to pursue degrees at Rajasthan’s Mewar University last year.
Though the plan was to cover more institutions, it could not be done due to COVID.
Since thousands of students applied for the scholarship last year and only a few hundred could be funded, the Northern Command has decided to increase the scholarship pool to over 600 students this year.
A drive was launched by several sarpanches, Zilla Vikas Parishad members and civil society stakeholders to increase the number of students who were given scholarships this year. After this the army increased the number of students receiving scholarships.
According to sources, more than 7,500 students had applied for the scheme this year. Even the soldiers on the ground were engaged to spread awareness about the scholarship and the number of seats provided for it.
Registration for the scholarship and subsequent examinations were conducted online. The exam was conducted for the selection of eligible candidates from 1st to 3rd August.
Of the 7,500 students who applied for the scholarship this year, over 6,000 are from Kashmir, 1,400 from Jammu, and around 100 from Ladakh, sources in the defense and security establishment added.
Operation Sadbhavna
In 1998, during the height of insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army launched an outreach and human development initiative, namely Operation Sadbhavna, The scholarship scheme of the Northern Command is a part of this operation.
Operation Sadbhavna was aimed at providing access to education, health care and sanitation services, along with infrastructure development and community support, to people living in disturbed districts of the erstwhile state. According to Army estimates, it has spent more than Rs 550 crore on this programme.
From last year’s group, students were given scholarships to study various courses including Management, Pharmacy, Engineering, Law and Sports Science. Focusing on education through Operation Sadbhavna, apart from the scholarships launched this year, the Northern Command is also running around 47 Army Goodwill Schools, of which 27 are in the Kashmir region.
Earlier this year, the General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps Told ThePrint, “Apart from running several education initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir, we are also helping students to go out and study in other parts of the country.”
(Edited by Siddharth Muraleedharan)
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