The Bagmati Province Government has officially implemented the 'Educational Scholarship Directive, 2083'. Under this newly launched program, the provincial government has awarded technical higher education scholarships to seven students belonging to marginalized and economically disadvantaged families. The scholarships were distributed to the recipients selected in the first phase during a special event organized in Lalitpur on Tuesday, fulfilling the program's core objective of expanding the reach of technical education among underprivileged student communities.
The Ministry of Social Development formulated and issued the directive following an announcement made during the first cabinet meeting of the provincial government, which was chaired by Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniya. According to the guidelines set by this directive, eligible candidates must be permanent residents of Bagmati Province, officially recommended as members of an underprivileged or marginalized community by relevant local bodies, and must have passed their Secondary Education Examination (SEE) from a community secondary school.
The final selection was made based on strict merit rankings and the criteria established in the directive, pulling from a pool of applicants who responded to a public notice published in the Gorkhapatra daily newspaper on Jestha 27. While applications were originally invited across seven distinct technical categories, only seven students managed to successfully qualify and secure selection across four specific fields.
Among the selected recipients in the medical field, Shriram Bhatta from Belkotgadhi, Nuwakot, has been chosen to study as a medical doctor at the Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences in Hetauda. For civil engineering, Matrika Nepang from Chitwan and Ashim Shrestha from Kavrepalanchok have been selected to pursue their degrees at the Nepal Polytechnic Institute and Khwopa Engineering College, respectively.
Similarly, Lalita Tamang from Nuwakot and Bishal Tamang from Kavrepalanchok have qualified as veterinary doctor candidates and will be studying at the Himalayan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (HICAST) in Kirtipur. Lastly, in the agricultural category, Utsav Pradhan from Makwanpur and Niruta Yogo from Dolakha have successfully secured their scholarships for their higher studies.
The scholarship amount provided for the bachelor's level will be paid in three installments of 35%, 40%, and 25%. Another important aspect of this program is the service-period condition. Speaking at the program, Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniya stated that the provincial government is supporting students from marginalized and underprivileged families who were not covered by federal policies through this scholarship program. He added that the provincial government has expanded the scholarship through its own policy to ensure that no student is deprived of education due to financial constraints.
