Mangalore: World Konkani Centre to Award Scholarship Worth Rs 40.5 Lac

Daijiworld Media Network - (SR/SB)

Mangalore, Aug 18: World Konkani Centre has instituted the ‘Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund’ (VKSSF), a path breaking initiative to promote higher education among economically backward sections of the Konkani speaking community irrespective of caste or religion.

Speaking to presspersons on Wednesday August 18, press secretary of VKSSF Pradeep G Pai said that Konkani language is spoken by Hindus, Christians and Muslims, thus making it a secular language. The programme is held with the intention to raise the ratio of higher education in the Konkani speaking people as only 13% of the Konkani speaking people have done their higher education and rest are deprived of higher education.

President and founder of World Konkani Centre Basti Vaman Shenoy said that the programme is a gift to the technical and medical students. The scholarship will be extended to the postgraduate and BBM students next year and the scholarship provided will be doubled, he added.

The current year’s scholarships will be awarded to 135 engineering and MBBS aspirants spreading across Kerala, Hubli, Dharwad, Goa and Mumbai apart from Karnataka at a function to be held at T V Raman Pai Convention Centre, Kodialbail on Friday August 20 at 11.00 am.

Scholarship worth Rs. 40.5 lac will be distributed on the occasion by Ramadas Kamath U, senior vice-president, Infosys Technologies Ltd., Bangalore, who is also the chairman of the Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund.

August 30 is celebrated every year as ‘Konkani Manyata Diwas’ to commemorate the inclusion of Konkani Language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India. Vishwa Konkani Sardar Basti Vaman Shenoy, president and founder, World Konani Centre will proclaim the World Konkani Vision Statement at the function that will be presided over by Dr P Dayanand Pai, chairman of Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation, which is the parent body of World Konkani Centre.

Fr Denis Prabhu, vicar General, Mangalore diocese and M Annappa Pai, honorary secretary, Canara High School Association, Mangalore will be the guests of honour. Special felicitation will be accorded to Chaya Burdekar, IAS, who is the first person to pass UPSC exams with Konkani as a subject.

In the current year a total of 350 applications were received and 135 eligible students falling within 25,000 CET ranking have been shortlisted for award of scholarship. An orientation programme has been held for the awardees and their parents to acquaint them with the aims and objectives of the scholarship.

Secretary, WKC Venkatesh N Baliga welcomed the gathering.

Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund

‘Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund’ is instituted on the basis of an inspiring suggestion provided by T V Mohandas Pai, director, Infosys Technologies, Bangalore and a patron trustee of World Konkani Centre.

During his visit to the World Konkani Centre, Pai had expressed deep concern that many meritorious and promising Konkani students were forced to forgo opportunities to pursue higher education due to economic constraints. As a solution, he suggested that a special scholarship should be instituted to specifically address this issue and had also generously volunteered to make a personal contribution to the effort.

“No Konkani child should be deprived of education because of lack of means. A sizeable scholarship fund will not only enable deprived students to gain higher education, but also the society in general will have a lot to gain from such qualified individuals,” he had said.

Furthermore, as the beneficiaries will sponsor two students each after completion of education and securing employment, the ripple effects of this initiative will reach a much larger and continuously expanding population canvas.

Fundraising Campaign

After the Fund was instituted, World Konkani Centre undertook a major campaign to motivate prospective donors to contribute financially to the fund and has been able to mobilize Rs 40.5 lac from ten individual benefactors, namely T V Mohandas Pai, Bangalore, Dr P Dayanand Pai, Bangalore, U Ramadas Kamath, Bangalore, K V Kamath, Mumbai, Jagannath Shenoi, Mysore, Dr T Ranjan Pai, Manipal, Ronald Colaco, Bangalore, A Annappa S Kamath, Bangalore, Rohan Monteiro, Mangalore and Pradeep G Pai, Mangalore

Governance of the Fund

‘Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund’ is administered by a Governing Council comprising eminent personalities. U Ramadas Kamath, senior vice-president, Infosys Technologies Ltd, Bangalore is the president of the Fund and Pradeep G Pai, managing director of Hangyo Ice Creams Pvt Ltd, is the secretary.

As the Fund will function on the basis of ‘Stream’ concept, the entire amount generated every year will be distributed to the beneficiaries and no separate corpus will be maintained. Contributions to the Fund will be eligible for Tax Exemption under section 80(G) of the Income Tax Act.

Eligibility Criteria

Allocation of scholarship under Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund is on the basis of the following criteria that the student’s family Income should be below Rs 2 lac per annum, the candidate should be eligible for merit seat, scoring distinction and above, an eminent local professional like Doctor or Chartered Accountant should attest for the family and the student, student should be willing to sponsor two students after completion of studies and after securing employment.

For further details one can contact,
Pradeep G Pai,
Secretary, VKSSF.

Ph: 0824 2495887

Address
Vishwa Konkani Students Scholarship Fund,
World Konkani Centre,
Konkani Gaon,
Shakti Nagar, Mangalore – 575016.