Fillip to overseas education

Harish Rao gives cheques to 121 students
PNS|Hyderabad

Around 121 families of students have received cheques for Rs 20 lakh each from Finance Minister Harish Rao at a function held at the Telangana Brahmin Samkshema Parishad on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion Harish said, “According to me Chief Minister KCR had begun fighting for poor Brahmins before the state’s formation and he was the pillar for setting up a committee in Siddipet for them.

He always said that there are no poor families among Brahmins and that we must help the priests. In history, politicians were terrified to speak about the poverty of Brahmins. They never dared to think otherwise and the CM wrote in history that caste is not an agenda for accessing the schemes of Telangana. As part of Kalyan Lakshmi we helped the marriages of all girls.

The SCs, STs, and Muslims have been given schemes for overseas education. Brahmins are the preservers of Hindu Dharma.

The opposition engaged in propaganda on the basis of caste and religion must understand we have to protect everyone including Brahmins.”

He added that decisions will be taken in sanctioning pending amounts for various works of the Telangana Brahmin Samkshema Parishad.

This scheme ‘Vivekananda Overseas’ is part of Telangana Brahmin Samkshema Parishad. As per this scheme, students who have completed bachelor’s have a chance to go to the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, France and South Korea for higher studies.

The candidates must possess at least 60 per cent marks for their bachelor’s degree and must obtain a family income certificate indicating that their annual income is less than Rs 5 lakh. The students must also qualify in exams like TOEFL, IELTS and PTE and should be below 35 years. The government has sanctioned Rs 24 crore for 121 students.

The families were overwhelmed with happiness when they spoke to ‘The Pioneer’ and said that the government is at last thinking about the welfare of poor Brahmin students.

One student belonging to Kshithija family said, “My sister prepared very hard for the interview. First, we have to apply for a scholarship and we will get a call in a week or two for an interview. If students are absent parents are asked to come. The tough question is answering why we need funds and later in a month we will get confirmation about the selection list.”

Another student who received the cheque said such schemes encourage students who are struggling with poverty.