VKSSF gives away scholarships worth Rs. 2 crore

VKSSF gives away scholarships worth Rs. 2 crore

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Aug 25, 2012: Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund (VKSSF), established by the World Konkani Centre, Mangalore, presented scholarships worth Rs. 2 crore to more than 1,300 students from economically backward families of Konkani-speaking communities. 

Addressing reporters at a press conference held at Hotel Ocean Pearl after the award-distribution ceremony held at T. V. Raman Pai Hall on August 25, Saturday, he said that MP Oscar Fernandes distributed scholarships among 480 engineering and medical students in the presence of TV Mohandas Pai, chairman of Manipal Universal Learning.

Further, he said that VKSSF grants educational scholarships to financially backward students who speak Konkani as their mother tongue. So far, the VKSSF has raised and distributed Rs. 50 lakh among 162 deserving students in 2010 and Rs. 1 crore among 547 students in 2011. It is now a huge scholarship program with more than 1,300 beneficiaries and has given away Rs. 2 crore in scholarships this year. He said that the centre aims to give away scholarships to over 25,000 students by 2020. 

Eminent Konkani philanthropists such as T. V. Mohandas Pai, Ramadas Kamath, Rohan Monteiro, Ronald Colaco, Dr. P. Dayanand Pai, Annappa S. Kamath, Pradeep G. Pai, and others are associated with the VKSSF. The beneficiaries are selected with the assistance of doctors, CAs, and educationists from all over Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala. 

Besides, the VKSSF has designed a new scheme worth Rs. 40 lakh to assist PU and degree students. It will also financially assist Konkani-speaking students who wish to pursue their education in reputed universities abroad and plans to give away Rs. 1 lakh each to 10 students this year. 

Secretary Pradeep G. Pai, President Basti Vaman Shenoy, T. V. Mohandas Pai, and Ganapathi Pai were also present.