Scholarship renewal relief for 6L, queries from fresh applicants flood colleges

Kolkata: The start of the renewal process for the Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means Scholarship has brought relief to around 6 lakh students while fresh candidates applying for UG courses are looking into the procedure to avail of the scheme. Under the programme, UG students receive Rs 1,000 per month, paid on a yearly basis in March or April. Since this was an election year, several students had to wait nearly two months to apply for renewal. CM Suvendu Adhikari declared the scholarship process live on Monday.Chayanika Bhowmik, a second-year student of a north Kolkata college whose father is an AC service operator, said, "I have to pay Rs 7,000 per semester. The scholarship almost covers the entire amount. I am relieved now." Diyasa Banerjee, a student from south Kolkata, expressed a similar reaction. She comes from a four-member family supported by her father, who works as a delivery agent. Diyasa's elder sister is pursuing law at a private college, and without the scholarship, she would not be able to continue her studies. "I got a message from the higher education department that my matter was forwarded to the directorate, which means I will receive the amount shortly." Rajanya Chakraborty, another student, said, "This year the process was delayed for several reasons, but the renewal process is now open." A college principal said, "Our nodal officer received calls from fresh candidates who applied for UG admission through the centralised portal while we have been getting renewal applications almost every day from current students." The portal for receiving fresh applications will go live immediately after college admissions are over.