42,345 rural students to receive ₹33.27 crore scholarship under SKDRDP’s Sujnana Nidhi scheme

Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) has chosen 42,345 students from rural Karnataka pursuing higher education (technical and medical) during the current academic year to award Sujnana Nidhi scholarships.

The scheme, founded by SKDRDP president and pattadhikari D. Veerendra Heggade in 2007, has entered its 20th year, with a total disbursement of ₹186.01 crore to 1,37,165 students. For the current academic year, the scholarship scheme would be disbursing ₹33.27 crore in total, said SKDRDP chief executive officer S.S. Anil Kumar in a statement here.

Unlike many other scholarships which are paid annually, Sujnana Nidhi scholarships are paid every month, thereby sustaining the beneficiary students on a regular basis, Mr. Kumar said. Mr. Heggade, for whom education has been very close to his heart, has also initiated various other schemes to improve rural education, including providing guest teachers to government schools, furniture, study material and building grants through SKDRDP.

With the objective of enabling children from rural areas to pursue professional and technical education and build a bright future, the Sujnana Nidhi scholarship programme was launched in 2007 by Mr. Heggade. Over the last 19 years, thousands of economically disadvantaged students have shaped their future by receiving the Sujnana Nidhi scholarship and pursuing professional and technical education.

As the expenses for professional and technical education are higher than those of other courses, the Sujnana Nidhi scholarship is highly beneficial to the children of members of self-help groups from economically backward rural areas.