A total 2,021 students will be awarded this year under the Muktijoddha (freedom fighters) scholarship schemes of India, reports UNB.

Scholarships will be awarded to 400 undergraduate students under the old scheme while 1,621 - 1,000 at undergraduate level and 621 at higher secondary level -- under the new scheme, said a press release on Thursday.

Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla handed over cheques to the students of Dhaka Division at a programme at the Bangladesh National Museum on Thursday.

Similar functions will be held in other places -- Rangpur, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Chattogram, Cumilla, Barishal, Jashore and Mymensingh -- over the next few weeks. The Muktijodhha scholarship scheme was initiated by the Indian government in 2006 for the descendants of Muktijoddhas. Scholarships are awarded to higher secondary and undergraduate level students. Undergraduate students got Tk 24,000 per year for four years and higher secondary students Tk 10,000 per year for two years.Under this scheme till now 10,936 students have benefited and an amount of Tk 16.5 crore has been utilised for this purpose.

Under the new scholarship scheme, a total of 10,000 students will be awarded over the next five years and Tk 35 crore will be utilised for this purpose.

Every year 2,000 students -- 1,000 each from higher secondary and undergraduate levels, will be awarded scholarships. Students at the higher secondary level will get a onetime grant of Tk 20,000 and those at the undergraduate level a onetime grant of Tk 50,000.

This scheme will run concurrently with the ongoing old scholarship scheme.