Colombo, Feb 10 (IANS) As many as 300 Advanced Level school students from all 25 districts across Sri Lanka were awarded the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships by Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, alongside the Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education, Madhura Senevirathna, and Acting High Commissioner Satyanjal Pandey in a special ceremony which took place at Sri Lanka's Ministry of Education in Colombo.

According to the Indian High Commission, under this scholarship programme, an amount of LKR 2,500 is provided monthly to Advanced Level students on a merit-cum-means basis, specifically targetting the top six students from each district. This year’s ceremony was notable for awarding scholarships to two batches simultaneously, covering the period from 2021 to 2024.

"Prime Minister Hon (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya expressed her gratitude to the Government of India for providing the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships and for its various other initiatives in Sri Lanka. While congratulating the recipients, the Prime Minister also took the opportunity to recall and share Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts and ideals, encouraging the students to reflect on his legacy," read a statement issued by the Indian HC.

"Congratulating the students on their achievement, Acting High Commissioner Dr. Satyanjal Pandey stressed that the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship is not merely a financial award for needy and meritorious students, but a recognition for a lifetime. He remarked that as awardees, they are expected to not only excel in their academic performance but also to carry and spread the noble ideas of the great leader throughout their lives," it added.

Beyond these scholarships, the Government of India offers approximately 210 annual scholarships in fields such as engineering, technology, arts, science, and indigenous medicine. Over 400 fully-paid slots are available under the ITEC scheme for Sri Lankan government officials.

Additionally, during the State Visit of President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake in December 2024, an MoU was signed to train 1500 Sri Lankan civil servants over a period of five years in India and also during the State Visit of the Prime Minister in April 2025, India offered 700 additional customized capacity-building training slots each year for Sri Lankan professionals.

"Taken together, these capacity-building initiatives of India cover knowledge exchange and professional development for around 1000 Sri Lankan nationals each year - over and above existing training programmes such as the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme," the Indian HC noted.

--IANS

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