The deadline to apply for three different scholarship schemes offered by AICTE (All-India Council for Technical Education) is December 31. Applications could be submitted online by students enrolled in courses at institutions recognized by the AICTE.

Details are available at the link 'Schemes: Student Development Schemes' on the website www.aicte-india.org, and applications could be submitted through the website https://scholarships.gov.in.

The final submission should be made before January 15, 2024, after the principals approve the data entered by the students in the applications. The annual scholarship amount is Rs. 50,000. Selection is based on the marks scored by students in the qualifying exam for the course. The following are the three scholarships:

1. ‘Pragati’ for female students
Female students currently studying in the first year of their course and those in their second year who joined in lateral entry can apply. A scholarship will be given for a maximum of four years in degree and three years in diploma courses. Two students from a family can receive the scholarship, subject to income limits.

2. ‘Saksham’ for differently-abled students
Applicants should be students with at least 40 percent disability who are studying in the first or second year of lateral entry. Other conditions are similar to those of ‘Pragati.’

3. ‘Swanath’ for orphans
This scholarship is granted to students who lost both parents, those whose one or both parents succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic, and children of soldiers who were killed during duty (personnel of the Armed Forces or Central Paramilitary Forces). ‘Swanath’ will be given to students who do not receive any other scholarship. Apart from first-year students, those in the second, third, and fourth years of their courses can also apply. However, they will receive the scholarship amount only during the remaining part of their course.