NEW DELHI, Oct 12: Globally renowned climate and environmental activists Licypriya Kangujam has announced a fellowship for higher studies for the Manipur conflict victim students.
The fellowship will be opened to all marginalised sections of Manipur, especially displaced students and those who have lost parents to the Manipur crisis.
The fellowship will help 30 student victims of the conflict pursue engineering, nursing and medical courses free of cost to shape their career, Licypriya said in a statement.
The 30 selected students will get admission at Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital and Hi-Tech Engineering College, Bhuba- neswar, Odisha.
Two seats each have been reserved for the victim students in various courses including MBBS, BDS, BSc Nursing, GNM, ANM, Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT), Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm), Diploma in Pharmacy (DPharm), BSc Optometry, BSc in Medical Laboratory Technology, BSc in Operation Theatre Technology, BSc in Anaesthesia Technology, BSc in Emergency Medicine Technology, BTech (Civil Engi- neering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Enginee- ring, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Elec- trical & Electronics Engineering, Computer Engi- neering, IT).
"As of now, MBBS and BDS seats have been closed but other courses will be opened till October 30," Licypriya said.
Students can reach out to Licypriya on her Email:
[email protected] or on Facebook to get the admission form.
Selection will be done through a transparent manner on the basis of merit, the child activist said.
The admission fee and tuition fee for the selected students will be paid by the Licypriya Foundation.
There are no hidden charges. Students have to bear only the hostel food/mess fees as food has to be outsourced from outside the campus for hostellers, Licypriya said.
The child activist said this opportunity for higher studies in one of the top eastern India institutions was announced by the Chairman of the Hi-Tech Group Dr Tirupati Panigrahi during his visit to Imphal on July 26 for the inauguration of the new house of Totomsana Nongshaba at Heirok.
This opportunity is being given to Manipur only. The Chairman took this decision after seeing the impact of the Manipur conflict to children. He was shocked to learn that over 30,000 children were staying in the relief camps in Manipur with a bleak future, Licypriya said.
"Usually parents spend over lakhs of rupees for their children to pursue engineering courses and medical courses. But with this fellowship, parents do not have to spend a single rupee for their children to become doctors or engineers. This is something I can do for the people of Manipur. Only education can eradicate poverty," Licypriya said.
For underprivileged students of Manipur, not staying in the relief camp, they may avail half the benefits of the fellowship, she said. "The fellowship will cover half the admission and tuition fees and they will pay the other half. If the parents are working then they can get a maximum of 20% discount on the fees," she said. Licypriya is already providing free education up to Class X and XII for the underprivileged students and children of "martyrs" who have lost their lives in the ongoing Manipur violence.