Dream of Foreign Education to Become Reality: Punjab Government to Cover Fees, Visa, Ticket and ₹13.17 Lakh Allowance (Image Source: Press Release/ Punjab Government)
The Punjab Government has announced major new steps to improve education for Scheduled Caste students. At a press conference in Punjab Bhawan, Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur explained the latest schemes of the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, launched under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Dr. Baljit Kaur said that under Chief Minister Mann, the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme has been freed from years of disputes and mismanagement. Strict action was taken against those who misused funds, and now every rupee is directly reaching the education of needy students. In 2022, 1,76,842 students benefited from the scheme. Today this figure has grown to 2,37,456, a 35% increase in just three years. During the previous five years of governance, only 3.71 lakh students got scholarships, while in the present three years, 6.78 lakh students have already been helped. For 2025-26, the target is set at 2.70 lakh students. Wide awareness campaigns are running in schools and colleges so that no eligible student is left out. Also, under the Top Class Education in Colleges for OBC, EBC and DNT students, those with family income below ₹2.5 lakh studying in 11 top institutions including AIIMS Bathinda, IIT Ropar, NIT Jalandhar, IIM Amritsar, NIPER Mohali, NIT Mohali, ISI Chandigarh, Thapar College Patiala, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law Patiala, IISER Mohali and IHM Gurdaspur will also get scholarships.
Dr. Baljit Kaur shared that the government has started a new foreign scholarship scheme for SC students and children of landless farm workers. Eligible students (under 35 years of age, minimum 60% marks, parental annual income below ₹8 lakh) can now study in the world’s top 500 universities. The government will pay for visa, airfare, tuition fees, annual allowance (₹13.17 lakh), emergency allowance (₹1.35 lakh), and medical insurance. A 30% reservation for female students will ensure equal chances. A maximum of two children per family can benefit, and each student can use the scheme only once. She added that the NOS portal (https://nosmsje.gov.in) will stay open for online applications for the academic session 2025-26 from September 15 to October 24, 2025. “This scheme will open new doors of hope for Punjab’s talented youth, and now parents will not have to mortgage their property to send children abroad,” she said.
Dr. Baljit Kaur also announced that a two-month PCS crash course will begin at Ambedkar Institute, Mohali, to prepare SC, BC and minority students for civil services. Applications will be accepted from September 17 to 26 (offline and by email). On September 30, 40 eligible candidates will be chosen through an entrance test. The institute has been upgraded at a cost of ₹1.47 crore, and another ₹1.22 crore is being invested. Professors’ honorarium has been raised from ₹750 to ₹1,500 per hour to bring top scholars as trainers.
On this occasion, Dr. Baljit Kaur said that under Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is constantly working for the upliftment of SC, BC and economically weaker sections. “Our aim is to make higher education reachable, affordable and attractive for every eligible child in Punjab. Only through education can we empower our students socially and economically,” she said.
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