CHICAGO: Indian Consulate in Chicago has announced that the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India, has introduced a Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children (SPDC) to assist Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in pursuing Under Graduate courses in Higher and Technical fields in India.

Under this Program, 100 scholarships are being offered for Undergraduate courses in disciplines including Engineering/Architecture/Technology, Humanities/Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management - BBA/BBM/, Journalism, Hotel Management Agriculture/Animal Husbandry, Sciences, Law, etc.

The scholarship program is open only to PIOs/NRIs from the specified 40 countries having a larger concentration of India Diaspora. Fifty percent of the scholarships would be reserved for PIOs. However, in the event of non-availability of suitable PIO candidates, the unfilled slots could be assigned to NRI candidates.

The NRI candidates would be eligible for the grant of scholarship only if their total family income does not exceed an amount equivalent to US$1500. Children of NRIs should have pursued at least three years of education inclusive of Eleven or Twelve started or equivalent (not beyond), in a foreign country during the last six years, and have passed the qualifying examination abroad.

The last date for receipt of duly filled in prescribed application form by Ed.CIL is April 4, 2008. The amount of scholarship admissible would be 75 percent of Institutional Economic Cost (IEC) or US$3600, whichever is less. IEC includes tuition fee, hostel fee and other institutional charges.