New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that those who have been granted Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) till March 22 this year will receive the scholarship until the expiry of the fellowship tenure.
The Central government had decided to discontinue MANF, a scholarship for minority students to pursue higher studies. The members from Kerala raised the issue in both Houses of the Parliament.
The Finance Minister said that the Canara Bank, which disburses the fellowship amount, has been directed to send an email to the existing beneficiary students, clarifying that they will continue to receive the fellowship until the expiry of the tenure.
“There are various scholarships for SC/ST, OBC and other minority communities. The MANF overlaps with several of these scholarship schemes,” the Minister stated.
The MANF scheme is for students from Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Sikh communities to pursue their MPhil or PhD studies. The fellowship was granted for five years.