Washington – There was a helping hand extended to needy but bright students in India as Washington based Sikh Human Development Foundation offered educational assistance to hundreds of students pursuing higher education in Punjab and other Northern Indian states.
Announcing a total of 504 student beneficiaries in 159 institutions and colleges totaling about $210,000 for the academic year ending in 2012, Gajinder Singh Ahuja, Secretary General of SHDF, said, “15 scholarship recipients belonged to farmers’ families where the farmer had committed suicide to escape the excruciating debt burden.”
He continued, “Need-based scholarships are granted after a rigorous screening process and our findings reveal that 60 percent of scholarship recipients were from families with income of less than a dollar a day per person and 18 percent from families with slightly more than a dollar a day per person.”
With an increased emphasis on female education (69 percent of the scholarships went to them), Chairman of SHDF, Amar Jit Singh Sodhi, said, “SHDF has granted 2373 scholarships since year 2001 when this program was initiated and 774 students have already graduated and have become professionals.”
Washington based Rajwant Singh, SHDF’s Outreach Director, said, “Their success brings a sense of hope for other students in Punjab and neighboring areas who might be facing similar dire circumstances.”
In the future, students can access application details at the website: www.shdf.org. (IATNS)