Rajasthan govt to spend Rs 215 cr in FY25 on education scholarship scheme

The Rajasthan government plans to spend Rs 215 crore during the current financial year (FY25) on a scholarship scheme to help meritorious students study in top foreign and Indian universities.

The government has renamed the scheme as the Swami Vivekananda Scholarship for Academic Excellence (SVS). It was instituted by the previous Congress government under the name of the Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship for Academic Excellence. In 2021-22, when the scheme was launched, 73 students benefited from it, and over Rs 5 crore were allocated to it. In 2023-24, the state government spent over Rs 107 crore and the number of students who benefited from it rose to 372.

 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said the scholarship initiative underscored the government's dedication to empowering students through higher education.

“This initiative is more than just financial support, it is an investment into the future leaders, innovators, and changemakers of our society,” said an official.

“Its primary objective is to provide financial assistance to students native to Rajasthan who aspire to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD, and post-doctoral research programmes. This support extends to universities ranked 1-150 globally according to the latest Times Higher Education ranking and the top 50 institutions in India as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF),” the official added.

The scholarship programme makes studying at top institutions a reality by covering living expenses, tuition fees, and additional academic expenses.

The students are classified into three categories based on family income: E1 (less than Rs 8 lakh per year), E2 (families whose income is between Rs 8 lakh to Rs 25 lakh per year), and E3 (over Rs 25 lakh per year), the official said.

For E1 category students, the scheme offers a package that includes a maximum of Rs 50 lakh towards tuition fees. Additionally, a one-time advance payment of Rs 3 lakh is provided to help with initial costs. To ensure students can focus entirely on their studies without financial stress, the scholarship also grants Rs 1 lakh monthly to cover their living expenses.

For the E2 category, the state government either pays 85 per cent of tuition fees or grants a maximum of Rs 42.5 lakh, whichever is less. The E3 category students get Rs 35 lakh or 70 per cent of the tuition fees, whichever is less.