Arunachal govt providing free UPSC coaching, incentives for aspirants: Minister

Itanagar, Mar 6 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona on Friday informed the Assembly that the state government is providing free coaching for UPSC aspirants from tribal communities through a New Delhi-based institute.

Replying to a question raised by BJP MLA Wanglin Lowangdong during Question Hour, the minister said the government is also providing one-time financial incentives to candidates appearing in the civil services examination.

He said an amount of Rs 2 lakh is given to candidates who clear the preliminary examination and Rs 3 lakh to those who qualify in the mains examination.

Sona said that the government is extending one-time financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to candidates clearing national-level examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, including NDA, CDS, Indian Forest Service and Indian Engineering Service.

In addition, he said, tribal students securing admission to premier institutions such as IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and National Law Universities are also provided one-time assistance of Rs 2 lakh.

The minister said the government has established career counselling facilities in all colleges of the state and has also conducted language enhancement courses for tribal students in collaboration with the British Council of India.

Responding to a supplementary question on the number of students from the state studying outside Arunachal Pradesh and abroad, Sona said there is no specific provision with the government to maintain such data.

However, according to records available on the National Scholarship Portal, around 11,775 students from the state are currently studying outside Arunachal Pradesh, the minister disclosed.

Sona added that the actual number may be higher as many students do not apply for scholarships and therefore are not reflected in the data.

The minister also said that under the Arunachal Pradesh Academic Excellence Scheme (APAES), the state government has provided scholarships to four students for pursuing higher studies in universities ranked among the top 150 in the QS World University Rankings, with Rs 194.40 lakh sanctioned during the current financial year.

He added that the government does not maintain records of students pursuing higher studies abroad independently, as many of them do not inform the authorities.

"The responsibility of the government is to empower students through various schemes, and they can apply for necessary scholarships," the minister said. PTI UPL UPL RG