SC/ST grants for higher studies get CCEA nod

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved a fellowship scheme for providing financial help to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled T...

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved a fellowship scheme for providing financial help to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students wanting to pursue higher studies.

The scheme, called the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship, is expected to benefit 667 Scheduled Tribe students and 1,333 Scheduled Caste students in 2005-06. The University Grants Commission UGC will be the nodal agency implementing the scheme.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said: 8220;This is very good news for SC and ST meritorious students with dreams to complete M.Phil and Ph.D courses.8221;

The CCEA has also approved an amendment in the centrally-sponsored scheme on Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal.

8220;The amendment responds to the aspiration and urges of farmers and horticulturists,8221; Dasmunsi said.

The CCEA approved a Rs 29.99 crore increase in the corpus fund of Maulana Azad Education Foundation which was set up in 1989 to promote education among the weaker sections and backward minorities.

The Foundation currently operates on the income generated from its Rs 70.01 crore corpus which will now increase to Rs 100 crore. The Foundation has disbursed Rs 80.5 crore to 622 NGOs till date.

The Cabinet8217;s decisions

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8226; Union Cabinet on Thursday deferred a proposal to increase the viability gap funding from 40 per cent to 60 per cent for building national highways in Bihar and Northeastern states.

8226; Decision couldn8217;t be taken as Finance Minister P Chidambaram is in Japan.

8226; Cabinet approved the signing of a MoU between India and Saudi Arabia to combat crime. It also approved the signing of a pact with Saudi Arabia for avoiding double taxation and preventing tax evasion.

8226; The Cabinet also approved a similar pact for avoiding double taxation and preventing tax evasion to be signed with Croatia.