98 students of minority community awarded scholarships in Punjab

FAISALABAD: Punjab government on Wednesday awarded educational scholarships amounting to Rs2.7 million to 98 talented students belonging to the minority community of Faisalabad division.

The scholarships were provided on special approval of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.

Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs and Human Rights, Ijaz Alam Augustine, distributed cheques among the students during a ceremony held at Circuit House.

The students of professional education were given Rs50,000 cheques each while Rs30 thousand for postgraduates. Graduates were awarded Rs25,000, Rs15,000 among intermediate students and Rs10,000 each to matriculation students.

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The occasion was also attended by Deputy Commissioner Sardar Saifullah Dogar, AOC Riaz Anjum, Protocol Officer Mian Farooq, President West Punjab Region of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Habqoob Gill, Senior Vice President Farooq Khokhar, Nargis Naheed and representatives of the minority community.

Ejaz Aalam Augustine congratulated recipients of the scholarships.

He said that CM Buzdar had allocated Rs30 million for providing educational scholarships to the talented students of minorities during the current year. He added that the provincial government was committed to raising the percentage of scholarship.

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“Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab CM Usman Buzdar are very much encouraging towards talented students by providing them handsome scholarships and other awards which would help in bringing about the education revolution for the rapid development of the country.”

Augustine clarified that the scholarships were provided purely on merit basis and transparently.

He said the government is implementing the policy of five per cent quota allocated for minorities in government jobs in letter and spirits. The minister detailed that minority employees were serving in police, judiciary, civil service and other departments on high and attractive posts in Punjab.

Augustine said that people belonging to the minority community are being treated equally as a Pakistani citizen by the present government. He thanked the CM Buzdar for looking after the rights of the minorities.

Meanwhile, the minorities’ minister met Divisional Commissioner Mehmood Javed Bhatti and RPO Ghulam Mehmood Dogar in their offices and discussed the matters regarding minority affairs in the Faisalabad Division.