Ninety-one-year-old J.N. Rohtagi, former Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) principal-cum-superintendent, will start a scholarship programme to help poor girl students of the medical college.

The 1948-batch ophthalmologist, who is an alumnus of PMCH, plans to give Rs 1.8 lakh to one financially challenged yet meritorious girl from every batch to help her complete the MBBS course at the college. The scholarship amounts to Rs 2,000 per month per student for the four-and-a-half year course. Every year, there are four batches studying at the PMCH.

"According to the plan, an expert committee comprising the principal and faculty members of the college and members of Malti Jagdish Rohtagi Trust (the trust Rohtagi runs in memory of his wife, Malti Rohtagi) will select one girl from the MBBS batch every year on the basis of her merit and economical background," said Rohtagi, who served as principal of Patna Medical College from 1980 to 1981 and as superintendent from 1982 to 1983.

Swetanshu, a third semester student, has been selected for the scholarship this year. She will be given the money during the foundation day programme of the college on February 25.

Swetanshu's father is a farmer.

"The course is tough. The scholarship will encourage the girls to beat all odds and become doctors," said Rohatgi. "The programme was the last wish of my wife, Malti."

Malti was a 1949-batch student of Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi. She served as a doctor at the PMCH from 1951 to 1983.

The couple's daughters also graduated from PMCH.

"PMCH is very close to my heart. I did my MBBS and my postgraduation here. I was a principal, a superintendent, a dean and the head of the ophthalmology department here," said Rohtagi when asked why he chose the college for the scholarships.

"The scholarship will help students from poor backgrounds. Students pay Rs 6,000 at the time of admission to government medical colleges," said college principal S.N. Sinha. "For the rest of the course, they need to pay Rs 500 a month. It is difficult for poor students to pay the college and hostel fees, which roughly comes up to Rs 1,100 a month. If the students have other accommodation, the cost jumps up to around Rs 4,000 a month."

Rohtagi said the scholarship would be given to only girls initially, but will later be extended to boys too.