App allowing easy access to scholarships for minority students launched

A mobile application facilitating easy access to scholarships for minority community students was Thursday launched by Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

The app of the national scholarship portal (NSP) will bring down duplication and leakage of scholarship benefits to zero per cent, the Union minority affairs minister said.

"It is the first official mobile app of the national scholarship portal under the ministry. It will prove highly beneficial to students, especially those living in remote parts of the country," Naqvi told reporters.

Lauding "empowerment without appeasement" policy of the Modi government, he said about three crore minority students, including 1.63 crore girls, benefitted from different scholarships of the ministry in the past four years.

"The dropout rate among Muslim girl students has come down to 35-40 per cent from more than 70 per cent earlier due to the educational programmes of the Modi government," he claimed.

The NSP app will help students fill their scholarship forms in a hassle-free manner. They will also receive updates on the status of their applications through SMS.

Ministry officials said over 48 lakh applications have been received in the current year. The last date was September 30.

Disbursal of scholarships begins in December and continues till the end of a given financial year, they added.