- The Scholarship has been instituted in memory of businessman and philanthropist Late Nileshbhai Patel by edible oil major NK Proteins
- Education is the first step towards women empowerment: Nimish Patel, CMD of NK Proteins
- A bright academic track record, strong work ethic, and family income of less than Rs 1 lakh a year are among the conditions for the applicants.
- An educated girl can also have a positive impact on the coming generations: Uttam Sharma, founder of Human Kind, and supporter at Karma Foundation.
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, AUG 17
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented economic pain, with those belonging to the economically weaker sections impacted the most. To ensure that the education of meritorious girls is not disrupted for want of finance, 57 bright girls from economically weaker sections have received the benefit of the Shri Nileshbhai Patel Girl Child Scholarship in its second edition. The annual school fee of these beneficiaries, amounting to Rs 15,000 per child, has been taken care of by the scholarship fund.
The Shri Nileshbhai Patel Girl Child Scholarship has been instituted in the memory of noted businessman and philanthropist Late Nileshbhai Patel, who passed away at the age of 55 on August 16, 2020, by NK Proteins.
The scholarship is aimed to provide financial support to bright girl students who are from needy backgrounds to help them create a bright future for themselves by fulfilling their dream of pursuing higher education. This is the second year of the scholarship, and 57 girls from needy families have been selected for the scholarship this year.
“Education is the first step towards women empowerment. My brother Nileshbhai was committed to the cause of educating girls and empowering women. The cause was close to his heart. We have instituted this scholarship to realise his vision of helping girls become financially independent by becoming educated. We are confident that the scholarship will help in realising his vision, especially at a time when many families have lost their sole breadwinners or experienced income loss because of the pandemic,” said Nimish Patel, CMD of NK Proteins.
Kamlesh Patel of NK Proteins said, “It was felt that we must do something to support the education of girls, and this is how Shri Nileshbhai Patel Girl Child Scholarship came into existence.”
A bright academic track record, strong work ethic, and family income of less than Rs. 1 lakh a year were among the conditions for the applicants. Girls, who have lost their fathers in the Covid-19 pandemic, were also eligible to apply.
More than 400 girl students had submitted applications for the scholarship, which were reviewed by a panel of prominent journalists and experts from not-for-profit organisations working for the cause of girls’ education. The beneficiaries were selected from among the applicants by Uttam Sharma, the founder of Human Kind, and supporter at Karma Foundation.
“Educating girls can help in creating a strong family, community, and economy. An educated girl can also have a positive impact on the coming generations. I congratulate Karma Foundation and NK Proteins for instituting this scholarship to promote girl education. It is an important initiative to ensure equal status for girls in society,” said Uttam Sharma.
