Odisha government issues modalities for KALIA scholarship

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has prescribed modalities for the special scholarship announced under KALIA scheme. Financial assistance will be provided to the children of the scheme’s beneficiaries for professional or technical studies.

As per a notification issued by Agriculture Secretary Saurabh Garg, the scholarship will be given purely on merit basis to those who are studying in Government colleges in the State. 
Students of professional or technical courses like engineering, medical, nursing, diploma, ITI, agriculture and allied can avail the scholarship. NRIs and those who take admission on cost-sharing or self-financing will not be eligible. 

Meritorious students can get KALIA scholarship for one professional course only. Tuition fees, annual college fees, one-time college fees and hostel establishment charges which are deposited in the college or universities will be released to the institution concerned through direct benefit transfer (DBT).
The Government has also decided to provide `1200 and `1000 per month to each selected degree and diploma/ITI/polytechnic student respectively towards mess charges and the amount will be deposited directly in the student’s bank account.  

The assistance has been fixed basing on the approved rates of the ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare department and it will be subjected to change time to time.  
Since the course has already started for the current academic session of 2018-19, students can avail the benefit of mess charges for the remaining period. But all fees, including hostel/mess charges, will be available for 2019-20 and 2020-21 sessions.

However, any refundable security deposit will not be part of the scholarship and it would be paid by the student. The scheme is automatically renewable on year to year basis on receipt of satisfactory performance on completion of the academic session from the head of the institution concerned.  

Courses eligible for the scholarship included, MBBS, BDS, BHMS, BAMS, BPharma, BSc (Nursing), BSc (Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Fisheries Science, Community Science), BTech and BE. The list of courses will be modified basing on the new courses added time to time. 
Children of KALIA beneficiaries have been asked to apply for the scholarship that was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on February 19.