New Delhi: As many as 1,374 differently-abled students got scholarships under various schemes launched by the department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in Odisha till November of 2018-19 fiscal.
According to the data shared by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in the Lok Sabha, 2,307 students with disability had got scholarships under the schemes in Odisha during 2017-18.
The ministry’s response came after Biju Janata Dal Parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahtab sought details related to the differently-abled students who have benefited under various scholarship schemes in the country during each of the last three years and the current year.
Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishanpal Gurjar said the department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has initiated an umbrella scheme ‘Scholarship for Students with Disabilities’ to empower students with disabilities so that they can live with dignity in the society.
“As many as six schemes – pre-matric scholarship for students with disabilities, post-matric scholarship for students with disabilities, top class education for students with disabilities, national overseas scholarship for students with disabilities, national fellowship for persons with disabilities, free coaching for students with disabilities – were merged into an umbrella scheme,” the minister said in written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Scholarships availed by differently-abled students
| Name of Scheme | 2017-18 | Till November 2018 |
| Pre-Matric Scholarship | 1240 | 115 |
| Post-Matric Scholarship | 1038 | 1241 |
| Top Class Education | 2 | 0 |
| National Overseas Scholarship | 0 | 0 |
| Free Coaching for students with disabilities | 0 | 0 |
| National Fellowship | 27 | 18 |