More Indian expat students can now apply for scholarships to study in India

MEA revises income limit for scholarships for NRIs, PIOs and OCI cardholders

Diaspora

November 27, 2019

/ By / Kolkata



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More Indian children from UAE can now apply for higher education scholarships to study in India as rules are revised to make the programme open to families with income less than USD 5,000 per month.

As India has revised the income limit for scholarships for non-resident Indians (NRIs) and persons of Indian origin (PIOs) in UAE, more Indian expatriate children can now apply for higher education scholarships to study in India under the Sponsorship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC).

“The government of India offers scholarships to persons of Indian origin (PIOs), non-resident Indians (NRIs) and overseas citizens of India (OCIs) and workers in Gulf countries, to pursue undergraduate courses in Indian universities and institutes in different fields,” said a statement from the ministry of external affairs of government of India.

The scheme, Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children or SPCD is run by the Indian ministry of external affairs which will provide partial financial assistance to about 75 pc of the total cost of education including tuition fees, admission fees, hostel charges (excluding food charges) and other institutional charges. This scheme can be availed by the children of NRIs and PIOs, OCI cardholders from 66 select countries.

“More children can now apply for scholarships under SPDC programme as monthly income limit is revised from USD 4,000 (AED 14,691) to USD 5,000 (AED 18,364),” the Indian consulate in Dubai said in a tweet.

The revision in the income limit will now enable children of more Indian expats in the UAE to apply for the scholarship said, Pankaj Bodkhe, consul (economic & education), at the Indian consulate in Dubai to Gulf News.

The eligibility criteria for the scholarship entails the students being in the age group of 17-21 years as of October 31 and who have completed or passed senior secondary (10+2) or equivalent examination with a minimum of 60 pc marks or equivalent grades in aggregate of all subjects.

“A total of 150 scholarships will be available. Of these, 50 scholarships have been earmarked for the children of Indian workers in ECR (emigration clearance required) countries, (which include the UAE) studying in India,” the rules posted along with the tweet read.

With this SPDC scheme, the ministry of external affairs aims at providing financial assistance to the needy children of some specific categories of Indian workers in the Gulf region to assist them in pursuing specific professional and non-professional undergraduate courses in Indian universities and institutes.

“The term Indian worker does not necessarily mean blue-collar workers. Children of all Indians working here and earning a combined income (of both husband and wife) less than USD 5,000 monthly can apply,” said Bodhke.

Under the scheme, students can apply at institutions like NITs, IIITs, schools of planning and architecture, ‘A’ grade institutions accredited by NAAC and recognised by UGC, and other institutions covered under DASA scheme. However, the scholarship is not valid for the students who want to pursue degrees in the medical and its related fields. After obtaining admission to an eligible course, the candidates fulfilling the eligibility criteria can submit the online application form on the SPDC portal.

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