The Odisha government has announced the introduction of the Nua-O scholarship for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. As part of this initiative, male students will receive an annual amount of Rs 9,000, while their female students will be granted Rs 10,000.
For male students, belonging from SC/ST and Nirman Shramik (construction worker) families, the scholarship amount is set at Rs 10,000, and female students in these categories will receive Rs 11,000 per year. V K Pandian, the chairperson of 5T (transformational initiative) and Nabin Odisha scheme, shared this information during an address to students at the ‘Nu-O festival’ in Jajpur, Odisha. He said that the decision was made during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik the day before.
The Nutana Unnata Abhilasha (NUA) Odisha scheme aims to empower the youth by providing continuous opportunities for skilling, re-skilling, and up-skilling, Pandian explained. Allocating a budget of Rs 385 crore for the fiscal years 2023-24 to 2025-26, the scheme is designed to encompass all 30 districts, with a focus on prioritizing tribal and remote areas. Pandian clarified that the scholarship will be accessible to students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programs within state universities, government, and non-government aided colleges, including Sanskrit colleges under the Higher Education department. However, he noted that students whose parents fall under the category of Income Tax payees or are permanent government employees will not be eligible of the scholarship.
The Nua-O scholarship for the ongoing academic year is scheduled to be credited to the bank accounts of eligible students starting from February 20. This initiative for student empowerment is aligned with the CM’s vision of ‘Nabin Odisha’.
Pandian also declared that a corpus of Rs 300 crore will be established, and by August, eligible students will receive Nua-O magic smart cards. These cards will enable students to access additional benefits such as subsidized bus or train travel, free WiFi, online courses, as well as skill development and coaching programs. He mentioned that approximately 4.5 lakh undergraduate and 32,000 post-graduate students are anticipated to gain advantages from the Nua-O scholarship.
