Arvind Kejriwal announces free foreign education scholarship for dalit students; govt will bear full cost

NEW DELHI: The former chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, has announced Dr Ambedkar Samman Scholarship for dalit students seeking to pursue higher education abroad. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor said that the AAP government will bear all the expenses of dalit students who wish to study abroad.

The announcement comes ahead of the assembly elections slated to be held in February 2025. The AAP government will bear all expenses, including travelling, college and hostel fees, of dalit students who get admission at foreign universities.

Expressing distress over the increasing education expense abroad, the party chief said that Dr Ambedkar Samman Scholarship will provide a complete financial aid to the dalit students who are willing to go abroad for higher education.

During his public speech on Saturday, he said that Ambedkar went abroad to pursue a PhD from Columbia University and London School of Economics and Political Science in 1916. However, getting admission in these universities now has become much more challenging.

Also read Australia revises student visa policy to streamline offshore application processing

Kejriwal said the Dr Ambedkar Samman Scholarship was a response to the BJP's "insult" of Ambedkar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah "insulted and made fun of Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar in Parliament. Crores of people who love Ambedkar were deeply pained," the former Delhi chief minister said at the AAP headquarters.

Children of government employees will also be eligible for the scheme, he added, without elaborating how and when the scholarships would be given.

Ahead of the polls, due in February, the AAP supremo has promised Rs 2,100 per month to all adult women and free treatment of senior citizens at government and private hospitals if his party returns to power, the PTI reported.