Maharashtra govt to give airfare for poor pupils going abroad

PUNE: Students who receive admissions in foreign universities under the Maharashtra government scholarship will be able to get funding for their airfare as soon as they get the confirmation. The students can apply for funding through their college.
A government notification (GR) issued by the higher and technical education department on Wednesday said that the students whose family income is less than six lakh per annum are going to be eligible for the Rajharshree Shahu scholarship for foreign education.
Further, these students will now be eligible for advance air fare.
Earlier, students who were selected for this scholarship would travel using their own funds. It had been clarified that once these students reached their universities, they had to present their air ticket and boarding pass and then get it reimbursed.
The government notification said that there were complaints from the beneficiaries that they could not arrange for the air fare money in advance and many a times their travel would get delayed.
The students also said that the procedure to file for reimbursement after reaching the foreign university often remained pending as they had to report to the university and finish the admission formalities. Hence, there was a request from all the students to pay the air fare in advance.
Students who receive confirmation from the foreign university can apply for the airfare through their college.