The Odisha government has introduced the ‘Videsh Siksha Bruti’ scheme, a significant initiative aimed at enabling meritorious Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students to pursue postgraduate and doctoral studies in leading global universities. Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj officially launched the scheme, which will come into effect from the 2025–26 academic year.
Under the new programme, SC and ST students with an annual family income of ₹12 lakh or below will be eligible to apply. To qualify, applicants must secure admission into postgraduate or PhD courses in foreign universities ranked within the Top 200 of the QS World Rankings, the minister announced.
The application window will open twice a year, during July–August and December–January, allowing students ample opportunity to submit their forms. Each year, 50 students will be selected for the scholarship. Of these, 10 students (4 PG and 6 PhD) will be chosen from engineering and technical fields; another 10 (4 PG and 6 PhD) from medical, agriculture, architecture and other professional streams; while 30 students (10 PG and 20 PhD) will be selected from general higher education disciplines.
Selected candidates will receive a scholarship of up to ₹25 lakh per year to support tuition fees, living expenses and other academic requirements during their overseas studies.
Alongside the scholarship launch, the department also distributed appointment letters to 34 candidates recruited to Group C and D positions in aided colleges under rehabilitation assistance. These appointment letters were handed over by the minister during the event.
A major development was also announced as the Odisha State Higher Education Council (OSHEC) received copyright authorisation to conduct Academic Performance Audits (APA) of higher education institutions across the state. This advancement positions Odisha as the first state in India to adopt such a comprehensive academic auditing system, aimed at strengthening quality standards in higher education.