Finance
On Monday, Naveen Patnaik, the Chief minister of Odisha, introduced a scholarship program for graduate and undergraduate students. According to organizers, the aim of the “Nutana Unnata Abhilasha Odisha” program is to empower young people in the state and assist them in continuing their education.
Senior official VK Pandian joined the scholarship program in Sambalpur, Angul, and Deogarh while Patnaik introduced it via video conference.
Interacting with the students from 57 colleges, Pandian said, “The scholarship amount for General and OBC students is Rs 9,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively, whereas for SC/ST and ‘Nirman Shramik’ students, it is 10,000 and Rs 11,000, respectively.”
By March 5, he stated, all qualified students will have the scholarship money deposited into their bank accounts. The scholarship money was deposited into the bank accounts of 28,112 students from the three districts on Monday.
The ‘Nabin Odisha Magic Card,’ a points-based smart card that would engage and empower the youth and aid in their academic, personality, skill, and employment development, is the state government’s next project, according to Pandian, the chairman of Nabin Odisha.
Noting that this card will be a “passport to prosperity”, he said that based on points earned through various activities and parameters, the cards will be upgraded to ‘Silver’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Platinum’ levels.
These cards will provide access to various facilities such as concession in fares of bus, train and flight tickets, phone recharge, online academic courses, tuition classes, “earn while you learn” opportunities, volunteering opportunities and access to stadiums during the national and international matches, among others, he said.
He went on to say that the government will work together with the private sector to give students even more advantages from their smart cards.
He stated that the card’s online registration will open on March 5 and that card distribution will begin on August 15.
Source:IE
