JEDDAH — The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs launched a scheme in 2006-07 called the “Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children” (SPDC) to assist children and wards of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in pursuing undergraduate courses in several disciplines in India.<
br>The following are the highlights of the SPDC 2012-13:

* Hundred scholarships are being offered for undergraduate courses in several disciplines including Engineering, Architecture, Technology, Humanities, Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Science, and Law.
* The program is open only to PIOs/NRIs from the list of 40 specified countries, which includes Saudi Arabia.

* NRI candidates will be eligible for the scholarship grant only if their total family income per month does not exceed an amount equivalent to USD2,250.

* Children of NRIs should have pursued at least three years of education inclusive of grades 11 and 12 or equivalent (not beyond) in a foreign country during the last six years, and should have passed the qualifying examination abroad.

* The last date for receipt of duly filled-in application forms in the prescribed format by Educational Consultants India Limited (EdCIL) is June 10, 2012.

For further details and application forms, readers may visit www.edcilindia.co.in. — SG