AP Govt to extend financial help to 1,000 students

Vijayawada: The State government wants to provide financial help to a large number of students for foreign education under the NTR Videshi Vidyadharana scheme. 

The Ministry of Social Welfare and Kapu Corporation jointly conducted interviews here on Wednesday as part of selections for foreign education.
The government has set a target to provide financial help to 1,000 members but only 600 candidates applied for financial aid this academic year.

The government will give Rs 10 lakh financial help along with Visa and flight charges for the selected candidates. The officials concerned requested the students to create awareness on the government's scheme ‘NTR Videshi Vidyadharana’ to benefit more number of students.

The scheme was introduced by the Social Welfare department almost three years ago following the instructions of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The main aim of the scheme is to encourage the merit students among the poorer sections who wish to study in foreign universities.

The students belonging to backward classes, scheduled castes and tribes are eligible to get financial aid from the State government. Now the scheme has been extended to poorer sections in the upper castes also. Nearly 600 students applied for the scholarship this year from all the 13 districts. The government wants to select at least 1,000 students. 

If more number of students apply for the scheme, they would also be selected without any limitations as per the guidelines of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, said Kapu Corporation Managing Director Siva Sankar. Speaking to The Hans India, he said that nearly 1,000 students went to various countries last year. 

The government conducted interviews at Tummalapallivari Kshetraiah Kalakshetram here on Wednesday. Kapu Corporation chairman Kothapalli Subbarayudu also attended and interacted with students and parents.