Overwhelmed by the success of its last years Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship Scheme, Jharkhand government is inviting applications for the academic year 2022-2023. The scholarship has now been extended to students from the SC, Minority and OBC communities along with students belonging to Scheduled Tribes.

Launched in 2020/21, the scholarship provides an opportunity to talented students from the state to pursue postgraduate studies at the top universities in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

The note released by the Jharkhand government states that it will be providing fully funded opportunities to all marginal communities in the state to access higher education. The expanded ambit of the scholarship now allows for the provision of fully funded scholarships to 25 students every year, to pursue a 1 year Master’s or 2 year MPhil programme across 31 disciplines in top universities in the UK and Northern Ireland.

The state government has increased the allocated and annual budget of the scholarship to 16 crores, which can be increased if neened. Candidates upto 35 years are eligible to avail scholarship, which aims to strengthen diversity and equality in education so that and marginalised communities are mainstreamed to have leaders, decision and opinion-makers to contribute to the economic and social development of Jharkhand and India in the coming years.

Last year, 7 scholars were part of the inaugural cohort of the scholarship and are currently pursuing postgraduate programmes in SOAS, Loughborough University, University of Warwick, University of Sussex and University College London in a wide range of practice areas such as climate change, creative writing and architecture.

"I am grateful to the Government of Jharkhand for initiating this scholarship. I believe it will empower and encourage students to pursue more in their life. Also, this would be a great opportunity for us to represent our culture on a global platform and showcase the true and actual meaning of the phrase - unity in diversity," said Akansha Mary Balmuchu, 2021 Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholar.