The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has awarded nearly 500 female students from Jammu and Kashmir, as well as a similar number from Northeastern states, the Pragati scholarship for the academic year 2020-21.
The ‘Pragati' technical education scholarship is given to female students pursuing courses such as engineering and management, among others, and is available for both diploma and degree-level studies.
The number of scholarship awardees in 2020-21 represents a significant increase from 2019-20, when zero students from J&K and only eight students from the Northeastern states were able to secure this scholarship. According to ThePrint, a similar pattern was observed in 2018-19.
According to authorities, the increase in scholarships reflects an increased interest in technical education among women, particularly those from remote areas.
“We have awarded scholarships to women from some of the most untouched regions like Poonch, Ganderbal, Doda, Kishtwar in J&K and some backward regions of Tripura and Nagaland. This shows that there is interest among women to pursue technical education and if given financial support, they will definitely participate,” a senior official from AICTE told ThePrint.
This increase can also be attributed to an increase in the number of scholarships available as well as a policy change.
Until the 2019-20 academic year, the council offered 4,000 scholarships; however, starting in 2020, the number was increased to 10,000.
Furthermore, until last year, scholarships were awarded on the basis of merit. However, in 2020, the council decided that all poor female students from certain states and Union Territories — namely, J&K, Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar, Daman and Diu, and the Northeastern states — would be accepted, regardless of merit.
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is a statutory body and a national-level technical education council that reports to the Department of Higher Education. AICTE, founded in November 1945 as an advisory body and later given statutory status by an Act of Parliament in 1987, is responsible for the proper planning and coordinated development of India's technical education and management education systems.
