Patna, Jan. 31: Patna College, one of the oldest institutions in the state, is planning to revive the scholarships and other financial assistance provided to students by erstwhile princely states and philanthropists in the pre-Independence era.

The college administration has asked its officials to trace the details of scholarships, which were discontinued for one or another reason after the Independence.

Rulers of several princely states in Bihar such as Munger, Darbhanga, Kulharia, Hatwa, Dumraon and others, in their prime, had started scholarships for students from their region studying at the prestigious Patna College. These rulers had deposited huge sums of money in banks and post offices and the interest generated from these funds were provided as scholarships to the students.

However, with the passage of time, such financial assistances stopped. Patna University vice-chancellor (VC) Shambhu Nath Singh said: “Many of the financial encouragements to meritorious students were discontinued by the college authorities decades ago but the funds donated regularly have piled up in various post offices and bank accounts.

“The money deposited at that time, even if in thousands, might have gone up to lakhs today. We have directed the college employees to trace the details of such funds deposited in various banks and post offices.” The VC said once the details about these funds are gathered, the college will contact the living descendants of the rulers and philanthropists and take their consent to start the scholarships again.

“The descendants will be invited for a meeting in Patna. If required, they would be given a choice to change the original subjects for the scholarships and awards. If they want, we will also include new subjects, change the scholarship amount and most importantly, alter the provisions of the schemes to suit the present scenario,” he added.

The plan to revive the old scholarships is a part of the college’s sesquicentennial year celebrations. College sources said there were more than 20 scholarships funded by the princely estates.

Randhir Kumar Singh, a teacher at Patna College, said: “Apart from the princely estates, there were many philanthropists who started scholarships for students belonging to the minority and backward community, to encourage them to aim for higher studies.” Philanthropists like Amarendrachand Pandey, Deo Dutta Tripathi, Basawan Singh, Syed Kazi Raza Hussain started several scholarships, the teacher said.