World Konkani Centre to distribute Rs. 2 crore in scholarships

World Konkani Centre to distribute Rs. 2 crore in scholarships

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, August 22, 2012: The Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund, which forms part of the World Konkani Centre in Mangalore, will award scholarships worth Rs. 2 crore to more than 1,300 economically backward students from Konkani-speaking communities at a special ceremony, which will be held on August 25, Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at T. V. Raman Pai Convention Hall in Kodialbail, Mangalore.

 

According to a press release issued by Vishwa Konkani Kendra Secretary Venkatesh N. Baliga, Rajya Sabha MP Oscar Fernandes will distribute scholarships among 280 medical and engineering students in the presence of Manipal Universal Learning Chairman T. V. Mohandas Pai.

State Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker N. Yogish Bhat will be the chief guest of the event, and K. B. Kharvi, president of Karnataka Konkani Kharvi Mahajan Sabha, will be guest of the honor.


About Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund (VKSSF)
VKSSF was launched in 2010 under the leadership and guidance of T. V. Mohandas Pai. So far, it has raised and distributed Rs. 50 lakh to 162 students in 2010 and Rs. 1 crore to 547 students in 2011. VKSSF is now a large scholarship program with more than 1,300 beneficiaries and has given away Rs. 2 crore in scholarships this year.

T. V. Mohandas Pai, K. V. Kamath, Dr. T. Ranjan Pai, Ramdas Kamath U., Dr. P. Dayanand Pai, Ronald Colaco, Grace Pinto, Annappa S. Kamath, Rohan Monteiro, Pradeep G. Pai, and many others are associated with this trust.

Applications for scholarships for medical and engineering students were accepted online from June 10, 2012 to July 10, 2012. Over 400 applications, along with 280 re-applications from beneficiaries of the previous two years, were received this year. Over 480 merit students were selected from the huge list of applicants after verifying details from chartered accountants, doctors, and educationists all over Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Kerala. The beneficiaries belong to a wide spectrum of castes and communities, but they all speak Konkani as their mother tongue.

The VKSSF has also launched a Rs. 40 lakh educational scheme for the benefit of degree and PUC students and has already selected 550 PU and degree students from economically backward Konkani speaking communities such as Kudubi and Kharvi. This scholarship scheme provides Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 5000 for I PU and I Degree students, respectively, this year. The trust has also identified 100 degree students from Kerala for receipt of scholarships. These scholarships will be given away at a separate ceremony, which will be held in September 2012.

Besides, the trust will give away Rs. 1 lakh each to 10 specially selected students who want to study abroad.