The Centre has disbursed Rs 309.95 crore for 68,207 students from the Northeast under the Ishan Vikas and Ishan Uday schemes.
The schemes generate interests among school children from northeastern States to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It also facilitates internship opportunities for the engineering college students in various institutes of national importance.
Disclosing this in the Lok Sabha, Union Human Resource Development Minister Dr Satya Pal Singh said on Monday that the Ishan Vikas is coordinated by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati.
“Under the programme, selected school children from North Eastern States are brought in close contact with the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) during the vacation period to motivate them to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to facilitate internship opportunities for the engineering college students in various institutes of national importance,” the Minister said.
Annual target is to provide visit of 96 school children to premier institutes and summer internships to 250 engineering students. An amount of Rs 605.45 lakh has been approved for the programme.
Since inception of the programme in 2014-15, a total of 1637 (922 boys and 715 girls) school children and 378 (266 boys and 112 girls) engineering students have been benefitted by the schemes.
Ishan Uday Scholarship Scheme is administered by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Under the scheme, scholarship is provided to the students having parental income up to Rs 4.5 lakh per annum, from the northeastern region for pursuing general degree, technical and professional degree courses including medical and para-medical courses.
The target of beneficiaries under the scheme is 10,000 per year. Rate of scholarship under the scheme is Rs 5400 per month for general degree course and Rs 7800 per month for technical, medical, professional, paramedical courses.
