Previous regime stopped SC/ST scholarship, we resumed it: Yogi

Yogi Adityanath distributes ₹ 458.66 crore scholarship online to 12,17,631 (1.21 million) students at an event organised at his official residence in Lucknow

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the previous Samajwadi Party regime had stopped scholarship of scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) students in 2016 but his government resumed it after assuming office in Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said his government has given scholarship to 40 lakh (four million)  more students than the previous government. (FILE PHOTO)

Yogi Adityanath virtually distributed ₹ 458.66 crore scholarship to 12,17,631 (1.21 million) students at an event organised at his official residence in Lucknow.

Speaking after the event, the chief minister said: “When the BJP came to power (in March 2017), it came to know that the previous government (Samajwadi Party) had stopped scholarship of SC/ST students in 2016. Our government resumed it.”

“One can imagine the mentality of such governments that work with a political grudge,” Yogi Adityanath added.

Yogi Adityanath virtually distributes ₹ 458.66 crore scholarship to 12,17,631 (1.21 million) students at an event organised at his official residence in Lucknow

The chief minister issued instructions to complete the admission process in all educational institutions by December 30.

Yogi gave the assurance that scholarship to the remaining students will be transferred in their bank accounts by January 26 next.

The government was also planning to distribute smart phones and tablets to students pursuing graduation and post-graduation courses, engineering, ITI, para-medical, polytechnic and other professional courses, he added.

The chief minister also mentioned the Mukhyamantri Abhyuday Yojana, a free coaching scheme for poor but meritorious students. Adityanath had inaugurated the Abhyudaya scheme on February 15 this year.

He instructed officials to start Abhyuday coaching in all 75 districts across the state. At present, this coaching facility is being run in 18 districts.

“During the coronavirus phase, we made sure that students from coaching institutes in Kota (Rajasthan) reach their homes safely. It was then that the government had decided to make coaching institutes available for students in their districts itself,” the chief minister said.

He also distributed scholarship to five students who were physically present at the event.

The chief minister virtually interacted with students of Moradabad, Firozabad, Unnao and Prayagraj and asked how they were utilising their scholarship amount.