KATHMANDU: Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood presented Certificates of Merit to Nepali students of the 8th Batch of the Golden Jubilee Scholarship Scheme awarded by the Government of India.

The Golden Jubilee Scholarship Scheme was launched by the Indian government in 2002 to commemorate 50 years of economic cooperation between India and Nepal. At the inception of this scheme, 50 Nepali students undertaking different undergraduate courses in Nepal were awarded the scholarship. Since 2007, the number of scholarships has been doubled to 100 students. According to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy, under this scholarship scheme, a monthly stipend of Rs 3,000 is given to 50 students pursuing MBBS and BE courses and Rs 2,000 per month to 50 students pursuing other courses, including BSc, BA, BBS and BPH. The students are selected on the basis of merit and need and 50 percent of the seats are reserved for students from educationally disadvantaged districts. Over a period of time, the quantum of Indian assistance in the field of education has increased manifold.

From 2007, the number of scholarships provided by the Government of India, in another scheme — the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship Scheme — for students of Class XI and XII studying in Nepal, has also been doubled from 500 to 1,000. In addition, thousands of Nepali students have undergone studies in India in a wide range of courses including medicine, engineering, business studies, veterinary sciences, agriculture, computers and IT, music and fine arts, film and television, hotel management, etc through facilities provided by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and the Consulate General in Birgunj.

Further, courses in dairy technology have been introduced from 2007 for Nepali students to study in India under the scholarship given by the Government of India. Training has also been provided to Nepalis in the areas of mass communication, science and technology, HRD, planning and urban development, information technology, etc.