Prime Minister says peace in Sri Lanka will benefit all

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that peace in Sri Lanka will benefit everyone and that Sri Lankans should stay united no matter what the race or religion.

The Prime Minister was speaking at an event held today?to hand over the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships to 150 high school students.

The prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships for 2014-15 were awarded to 150 high school students from all 25 districts across Sri Lanka by the Prime Minister and Y. K. Sinha, the High Commissioner of India, at a special ceremony at the Auditorium of the Ministry of Sports?today.

The Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship, a merit-cum-means based Scholarship instituted in 2006-07 for Sri Lankan students, is awarded annually by the High Commission of India in cooperation with the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka. Recipients receive cash assistance during their two years of ?A? level studies.

The High Commission of India also announced an increase in the scholarship amount by 25% from 2015-16.

Accordingly, this year?s awardees will receive Rs. 24,000 each during their first year of ?A? level, and Rs. 30,000 during their second year.

The 150 students (six each from 25 districts) were selected in May 2015 by a joint selection committee comprising officials from the High Commission of India and the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka, based on performance of the student in the ?O? level examinations and in an interview.

The students selected for the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship will also be eligible to apply for various undergraduate scholarships and self-financed schemes awarded by the Government of India. Under these schemes, students can pursue undergraduate courses in various reputed institutes and Universities in India. Most of the students who received this scholarship in the past have gone on to excel in their chosen fields of study at the undergraduate and higher levels. (Colombo Gazette)