Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday launched the Nua-O scholarship scheme for the students who are pursuing postgraduate and general degree programs.

During a conversation with school children at the ‘Nu-O festival’ in Devgarh, the chairperson of the Nabin Odisha program and the 5T (Transformational Initiative), V.K. Pandian, informed about the disbursement of the Nua-O scholarship amount in Devgarh district.

The online registration portal for this card will be launched on March 5, and the distribution of the card will take place on August 15.

The Nua-O scheme in Odisha aims to offer young individuals opportunities for continuous skill development, reskilling, and upskilling.

As per the direction of CM Naveen Patnaik, V.K. Pandian visited Angul and Deogarh districts. He attended the Nua-O Scholarship Distribution Programme in these districts, where he interacted with students from 57 colleges in Sambalpur, Angul, and Deogarh Districts, providing information about the Nua-O Scholarship.

ELIGIBILTY

This scholarship benefits all eligible PG and UG students from state government universities, government colleges, non-government aided, and unaided colleges. The scholarship amount for General and OBC male and female students is Rs 9,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively, while for SC/ST and Nirman Shramik male and female students, it is Rs 10,000 and Rs 11,000, respectively.

Pandian informed that 13,423 students from 21 colleges in Sambalpur district, 11,265 students from 25 colleges in Angul district, and 3,424 students from 11 colleges in Deogarh district will receive their scholarship amounts in their bank accounts today. With this, Rs. 28.00 Crores have been sanctioned for 28,112 students from these three districts. He distributed Nua-O Scholarship Sanction Orders to the students.

Pandian said that the decade of 2024-34 will be an era of empowerment for the youth, as the state government works towards achieving the goal of Nua Odisha.

Pandian said that the government’s next major initiative will be to cover all the students through the launching of the futuristic Nabin Odisha Magic Card, a points- system based smart card which will engage and empower the youth and enable them towards academic development, personality development, skill development and employment.

It will create a platform for the youth to aspire and achieve their dreams. It will be encouraging and empowering the youth by providing physical and digital access to resources which will help them in their career growth and personality development.

This card will serve as a ‘Passport to Prosperity.’ Based on points earned through various activities and parameters, the cards will be upgraded to Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels.

The allocation and upgrade of cards will depend on the student’s performance in terms of attendance, discipline, academic achievements, participation in extracurricular activities, sports, online courses, personality development courses, and more.

BENEFITS

These cards can provide access to various facilities, including: Bus/Train/Flights concessions; Phone/Data recharge and Wi-Fi access; e-libraries; Online academic courses; Personality development courses and workshops; Coaching centres and tuition classes; Skill development courses; Career counseling; Language courses, including Odia and English; ‘Earn While You Learn’ opportunities; Volunteering opportunities; Access to stadiums during national and international tournaments; Access to journals and seminars; Access to tourist places, museums, etc.”

This card will also offer job and placement opportunities by sharing data with potential recruiting companies, creating a LinkedIn-type platform for students to interact with the industry. It will integrate with the startup ecosystem, encouraging students to aspire to be entrepreneurs, and will also provide priority loans for students under various schemes like Swayam, etc.

The government will actively engage with the private sector to provide more benefits to students through these smart cards.

With inputs from Kamaraj Dwibedy.