Post-matric Scholarship online

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa Government on Saturday put onlineits post-matric scholarship and widened its scope to encourage students from the disadvantaged sections pursue higher education.Called ‘Prerana’, the e-scholarship programme will bring in transparency, accountability and responsiveness, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said after itslaunch.“Post-matric scholarship has been a major scheme to facilitate higher and technical education among the weaker sections such as ST, SC, OBC, SEBC and minority students,” he said.Prerana allows online registration for the scholarship as students can log on to http://ori.nic.in/odishapms. Naveen said the State Government has, over the past few years, already taken a number of special measures to promote educationin the schools meant for SC and ST students. “The Government is trying to bring the SC and ST people to the mainstream by providing them quality education,”he said and added so far 1.5 lakh students have benefited from the scholarship programme.Chief Secretary BK Patnaik said the Government would monitor the implementation of the e-scholarship programme and expand it for the school students in future. Commissioner-cum-Secretary, SC/ST Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, Santosh Sarangi saidthat there was no cap on the number of applicants in case of ST and SC students under the scholarship scheme. For the OBC, SEBC and minorities, it will be on first-comefirst- serve basis.The students will have to submit the personal details in the online application form along with passport size photo, caste and income certificates. The completed forms will go to institutes for verification and then to the District Social Welfare Officer whose approval will lead to sanction of the scholarship.The scholarship amount will directly be deposited in the bank account of the student.