Bharti Airtel Foundation launches scholarship programme for students

Aims to empower 4000 students with an outlay of Rs 100 crore annually

Bharti Airtel Foundation has announced a scholarship programme to support students pursuing technology-based engineering undergraduate courses and integrated programs in the top 50 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) (Engineering) colleges, including IITs.

The foundation is the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises and is commemorating its 25th anniversary.

This merit-cum-means based Scholarship Program will cover students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with a focus on girl students.

This will be applicable to students eligible for admissions in August 2024. "Starting this year with 250 students, the Program is designed to scale up incrementally with its successful implementation through each cohort. The ambition is to expand reach to 4,000 scholars with an outlay of Rs 100+ crore per year as the Program reaches its peak," the Foundation said in a statement on Tuesday.

 

The fully funded scholarship is envisaged to dissolve the financial barriers that hinder access to quality education for meritorious students, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds. It will be provided to students with an annual family income not exceeding Rs 8.5 lakh.

It will focus on undergraduate and integrated courses in fields of Electronics & Communication, Telecom, Information Technology, Computer Sciences, and Data Sciences at the top 50 NIRF (Engineering) colleges. It will also cover courses in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Robotics, among others.

Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises and Co-Chairman of Bharti Airtel Foundation, said the Foundation has touched more than 6 million lives through its educational initiatives.

"With this pioneering Bharti Airtel Scholarship Program, we are expanding our commitment to empower students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, particularly girl students, to achieve academic excellence and pursue their dreams. We firmly believe that education is the cornerstone of societal progress and economic empowerment," Mittal said.

The selected institutes have always showcased a confluence of exemplary learning and accessible education to students across different strata, he stressed.

Recipients of the scholarship, to be known as Bharti Scholars, will receive 100 per cent of their college fees throughout the duration of their course and will also be given a laptop. Additionally, hostel and mess fees shall be given to all eligible students who apply for it.

With an underlying philosophy to ensure that the benefits accrued through enabling access to quality higher education continue going forward, Bharti Scholars will be encouraged to support at least one student on a continuous basis, voluntarily, once they graduate and are subsequently gainfully employed.