New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS): The British High Commission organised a special send-off in New Delhi for recipients of the 2023 to 2024 Chevening Scholarship, which includes 22 women and 22 men.

This year’s cohort, over 50 per cent of them hailing from non-metro cities, includes five scholars who have been co-sponsored by the Adani Group to study artificial intelligence and five others co-sponsored by the TVS Motor group for masters in STEM.

It also includes three scholars from the inaugural Chevening Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda (MGJSM) Scholarship co-sponsored by the Jharkhand government, three scholars co-sponsored by HSBC India and one scholar each co-sponsored by HUL India and Duolingo.

"It was great to meet this year’s cohort, to get to know their stories and ambitions. Travelling to India as an 18-year-old was a life changing experience for me. I would encourage more of India’s best and brightest to take up this opportunity to study in the UK," Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, said in statement.

The next application window for the UK government’s flagship international award scheme will open in mid-September.

The scholarships include tuition, living expenses and travel cost for a one-year master’s at any UK university.

Under this scheme, India receives the largest number of awards in the world -- benefiting over 3,700 scholars and fellows since 1983.

Chevening alumni in India include Union Minister Piyush Goyal, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel, Global CEO for Tata Steel T.V. Narendran, and the former Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu Girija Vaidyanathan.