ICCR scholarships for 70 SL students

This year's recipients of the award include students from all parts of Sri Lanka, writes PK Balachandran.

Around 70 Sri Lankan students were awarded Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarships for courses in prestigious Indian universities at a function in Colombo on Monday.

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The scholarships, handed over by the Indian High Commissioner Nirupama Rao, include a complete waiver of all tuition fees, a generous monthly stipend for living expenses, and the international airfare between India and Sri Lanka.

This year's recipients include students from all parts of Sri Lanka, such as Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Batticaloa, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Hambantota, Polonaruwa, Jaffna and Trincomalee, a press release from the High Commission said.

The students will study at Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Benaras.

The scholarships are for courses in engineering, humanities, pure and applied sciences, technology, commerce and accountancy and others.

There are also diplomas and degree courses offered in music, dance and fine arts.

A few post-graduate courses with scholarships are also provided every year to deserving students of Sri Lanka.

Around 3,000 students have obtained degrees under the ICCR scholarship scheme over the past five decades.

Sri Lanka has been one of the largest beneficiaries of the ICCR scholarship scheme.

Rao's call to bridge information gap

High Commissioner Rao referred to the geographical proximity between the two nations and regretted the information gap that existed between them despite the proximity.

She called upon the young scholars to close that information gap and to bring the two nations closer together.