Bhubaneswar: Vidyadhan, a scholarship programme set up by Kumari Shibulal, founder and patron of Sarojini Damodaran Foundation (SDF) and SD Shibulal, Trustee of SDF and co-founder of Infosys formally launched in Odisha on Sunday.
With the launch of Vidyadhan in Odisha, the scholarship has its foot print in nine States and one Union Territory in India. The scholarship is for economically backward students, from families with an annual income below Rs 2 lakh. It covers higher education, starting Class XI onwards by providing for annual fees ranging from Rs 6,000 to Rs 60,000 per year, depending on the financial need, merit, course and duration.
During her visit to Odisha Shibulal said that they have received over 700 applications from all districts of Odisha. “Of the 700 application, nearly 90 per cent are from students studying in Government and Government-aided schools and colleges,” said Shibulal.
In addition to the academic scholarship, Vidyadhan provides all students with training in soft skills, employability and career counselling. Students will receive scholarship from Class XII to the completion of their undergraduate degree spanning over five to seven years, with appropriate increase in the scholarship amount, provided the student keeps up academic performance and gets admission in the merit quota for future studies, including professional courses.
The patrons expected it to scale up to 10,000 students and 1,00,000 scholarships over the next seven to ten years.
In addition to Odisha, the programme is also operational in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.
