Gujarat CM Disburses Rs 646 Crore Scholarships To Over 4.72 Lakh Students

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday distributed more than Rs 646 crore in scholarships and educational assistance to over 4.72 lakh students across the state. The financial support was transferred directly to beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) at a programme held at Swarnim Sankul in Gandhinagar, with a significant portion of the assistance directed towards girls pursuing higher education.

Under the Namo Lakshmi scheme, more than four lakh girls who cleared their Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations received over Rs 513 crore in financial assistance. Another Rs 28 crore was distributed to more than 57,000 students who passed the Class 12 science-stream examination under the Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana scheme. The government has positioned both programmes as measures to encourage students, particularly girls, to continue their education.

An additional Rs 105 crore was distributed through various scholarship and higher-education support schemes. Of this amount, Rs 96 crore was provided to 7,260 students under programmes including the Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavalamban Yojana, SHODH, Mukhyamantri Shri Scholarship Yojana and Mukhyamantri Kanya Kelavani Nidhi Yojana. Another Rs 9 crore was provided as grants to 48 institutions.

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Patel emphasised the importance of education in Gujarat's development and pointed to the Namo Lakshmi and Namo Saraswati schemes as initiatives that have encouraged girls to pursue higher secondary education and science. He also stressed the need for stronger cooperation between teachers, students, families and society to improve educational outcomes. The government, he added, has launched a campaign to identify children who have discontinued their schooling and facilitate their return to education.

Education Minister Pradyuman Vaja linked the state's education initiatives with the broader objective of developing a skilled and empowered young population. Referring to the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative, he maintained that financial constraints should not prevent girls or meritorious students from continuing their education. He also noted that education plays a central role in strengthening the country's development and advancing the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Minister of State for Education Rivaba Jadeja noted the impact of the Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani campaigns launched in Gujarat in 2003. According to figures presented at the programme, higher secondary enrolment among girls increased by 16 per cent in the first year of the Namo Lakshmi initiative, while the number of girls in Classes 9 to 12 with attendance above 80 per cent rose by around 73 per cent. The number of science-stream students with attendance between 80 and 100 per cent increased by 125 per cent, according to the figures shared by the government.

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