West Bengal Cabinet Establishes a Scholarship Scheme for OBC Students

New Delhi: The West Bengal Cabinet has approved a scholarship programme for OBC students that includes an annual academic grant of INR 800.

Earlier this month, the 'Medhashree' programme was introduced from a distribution programme at Alipurduar, by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had criticised the BJP-led central government's decision to end scholarships for students from underprivileged castes and minority groups.

Medhashree Scholarship Scheme 2023-24: Highlights 

The establishment of the new scholarship scheme assumes significance with the Central government deciding to discontinue scholarships for students of backward castes and minority communities.

Medhashree Scholarship 2023-24: Eligibility Criteria:

• Students of Class 5th to class 8th are eligible for the scheme.
• Students must be residents of West Bengal.
• Studying in the government school of WB State.
• Only students of Minority classes are eligible for the Medhashree Scholarship scheme. 

According to an official, the state was clearing up the decks for the allotment of scholarships to 2.6 lakh students and the figures could go up in the upcoming years. The Medhashree scholarship was introduced after the centre discontinued the pre-matric scholarship for backward class students of junior classes. 

The CM said that the Central government has stopped scholarships for students of OBC and other minorities. However, the state government will be providing the same grant to them and that the state government would do its bit to protect their interests. 

The Bengal government already has a scholarship program known as Aikyashree scholarship with an objective to promote talented students and support them financially.

Aikyashree is a type of online scholarship program that is awarded to students belonging to financially poor backgrounds and minority communities. However, to avail the Aikyashree scholarship, the applicant must be a domicile of West Bengal.

They must be studying in a school/institution recognized by an educational Board/ Council/University of the state/Central government and must have secured not less than 50 per cent marks or equivalent grade in the previous final examination.

The latest Medhashree Scholarship joins Kanyashree for girls, Oikyashree for minority students, Shikhashree for SC/ST students, and the Swami Vivekananda Scholarship for Post-Madhyamik studies. 

According to a source, the cabinet also approved the trifurcation of the Mohammad Bazar Police Station and the establishment of Rampur and Deucha as new police stations in the Birbhum district. 

In light of the Deucha Pachami coal project, it was decided to increase security in the district, he stated. The state cabinet approved the creation of 2,606 new positions in numerous state government ministries.

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