Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that a model similar to the Arivu scheme, which covers students belonging to minority communities, will be extended to students belonging to backward classes (BC).
Students belonging to religious minorities who qualify for admission to professional courses after clearing the Common Entrance Test (CET) benefit from the Arivu scheme, under which interest-free education loans are given, provided the parents’ annual income does not exceed Rs. 4.5 lakh. Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation (KMDC) routes the fee to the college concerned through the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).
The KMDC recently entered into a memorandum of understanding with the KEA to ensure the loans are granted on the spot after the students qualify for admission to professional courses.
“Loans sanctioned to students belonging to backward classes will be paid to the respective colleges through the KEA, similar to the Arivu model,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said, after handing over a demand draft for Rs. 15 crore to the KEA at his official residence here.
Minister for Municipal Administration, Minorities Welfare and Wakf, and Chairman of the KMDC Qamarul Islam was present.
According to Mr. Qamarul Islam, the KMDC has extended loans amounting to Rs. 41.58 crore to 15,963 students. The corporation has set a target of offering services to 16,667 students for 2014–15.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said, “With the implementation of the Arivu scheme, students and their parents need not deal with corruption, humiliation and red-tapism.”
