R Krishnakumar, Thiruvananthapuram, DH News Service, Sep 2 2017, 18:53 IST
The government's move comes in the wake of reports on the plight of Rima Rajan, an M.Sc (Business Management) student at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. Image courtesy: Facebook
The Kerala Government on Saturday sanctioned Rs five lakh as financial assistance to a Dalit girl who was facing expulsion at a university in Portugal, over non-payment of fees.
The government’s move comes in the wake of reports on the plight of Rima Rajan, an M.Sc (Business Management) student at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.
Rima, a native of Kodakara in Thrissur district, had made an appeal to the government through a video, on Friday, in which she said she was awaiting the response from the government on an application for the scholarship she had submitted a year ago.
Rima said a three-month extension the university allowed her to pay the fees was ending on Saturday. “My parents have struggled a lot to get me here. If I’m not able to settle the dues by tomorrow (Saturday), I’ll have to leave my studies,” she said in the video.
“SPECIAL CASE”
The state government, while sanctioning Rs five lakh to the student, clarified that the decision was taken because Rima’s is a “special case”. The government cannot provide financial assistance to students who pursue courses in other countries if those courses are available in India, A K Balan, Minister for Welfare of SC, ST and Backward Classes, said.
“The order sanctioning Rs five lakh to Rima Rajan will be issued today. The future of deserving students should not be affected but it also has to be noted that the government has to follow guidelines,” the minister said.