Offer from QS-ranked institutes must for Bidesh Sikhyabruti scholarship: Odisha govt

Bhubaneswar: An SC or ST candidate will have to secure an admission offer from any of the current top-200 QS ranked foreign institutes or universities to become eligible for the Bidesh Sikhyabruti scholarship, according to the guidelines released by the higher education department on Monday.The scholarship scheme, launched by higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj last month, aims at funding SC and ST students in pursuing PG and PhD abroad across disciplines.The guidelines stated that the Odisha State Higher Education Council (OSHEC) will draw the merit list of eligible candidates based on their admission letters from the foreign institutes. The candidates with an admission letter from a higher-ranked university/institution will be ranked higher in the merit list.

In case of a tie between the QS rankings of two or more candidates, their position in merit will be decided on the basis of the marks/grades secured by the candidate in the previous qualifying examinations.

Institutions must be accredited and recognised by the host country’s national regulatory body.Arvind Agarwal, commissioner of the department, said the OSHEC will constitute a selection committee comprising officials of four departments for preparing the merit list.

While students will have to submit their academic progress reports annually, the scheme will be monitored by OSHEC.Candidates whose families’ annual income is 12 lakh or less will get Rs 25 lakh per year for either PG or PhD. The scholarship will support 50 students per year – 10 for technical courses, 10 for medical, agriculture and other professional courses and 30 for general courses under the higher education department.