The scholarships worth Rs 3.5 crore instituted by Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation (KLCF) were given to 685 students aspiring to pursue MBBS and engineering courses.
After distributing the scholarships, the minister told thestudents that they would become successful if they built their lives around their mother tongue.
"We must always worktogether to hold on to the roots of our mother tongue. If weforget the roots, we become ruthless. And if a person becomesruthless he cannot be successful," he said.
"I call upon all the students present to be the intellectuals,thus making Vishwa Konkani Kendra a world renowned knowledgeexchange centre," he said.
State Minister for large and medium industries R V Deshapande, who was present, told the studentsto be aware of developments around the world along withgaining education.
"Merit and quality are the order of theday.If you do not have them, then the education that youpursue is of no use", he said.
Manipal Global Education Chairman T V Mohandas Pai advised the students to help uplift the living standards of weak sections in the society after they become successful.
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