Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday launched Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Programme, promising 50,000 scholarships every year with 50 percent quota for female students.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, the Prime Minister said that the government would also launch a ration programme in the country to protect the vulnerable against dearness (inflation and price hike) by providing the poor families with essential commodities at their doorsteps.
He said that flour, ghee, pulses, sugar and other necessities of life would be provided to protect the poor against inflation and it has taken time because a new database has being created in Ehsaas program to ensure that the benefit of the program reaches the deserving people.
The prime minister said that scholarship programme being launched would bring about massive change, as poor talented students would get a chance to get education and earn livelihood for their families. He said provision of 50,000 scholarships each year to undergraduates is a big step towards higher education.
He said that allocating quota for physically challenged persons and girls is an indication that the government believes in inclusiveness for the development of the country and policies are not being made for a few elite.
He said basis of the Ehsaas program is the State of Medina that took responsibility of all the vulnerable segments of society and the government's Health Insaf Cards, Langar Khanas and other initiatives are going to make the dream of State of Medina true.
Earlier addressing the launching ceremony, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar said that biggest scholarship programme in the history of the country has been launched. She added that this programme would be led by the Ministry of Education and added that by the end of the year, the prime minister would also unveil financial inclusion strategy for the female. She added that in the coming three months, a large number of programs are in the pipeline for launching.
She said that Rs 5 billion would be allocated annually and 50,000 undergraduate students would be given scholarships each year along with accommodation expenses. Fifty percent scholarships would be given to women students and 2 percent to physically disabled persons, she added.
She said these scholarships will be given on the basis of need and merit in the disciplines of agriculture, arts and humanitarians, business education, engineering, medical, physical sciences and social sciences.
She said the HEC has provided scholarships to 30,000 undergraduates in last 14 years while 50,000 scholarships will be given in a year under this programme, which is an exemplary step.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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