CM launches 2nd phase of scholarship scheme

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched Phase-II of the Honhar Scholarship Programme, under which educational expenses of 30,000 students annually will be paid by the government in for next four years.

Addressing a ceremony at the FAST National University of Computer and Engineering Sciences, Islamabad, the chief minister said, "Under this scholarship programme, talented students can pursue higher education from the best institutions without worrying about their financial situation. Punjab government is responsible for paying 100 per cent of the educational expenses of successful students under the programme."

She said, "Students of 65 universities, 12 medical and dental colleges, and 359 colleges in Punjab are receiving the Chief Minister Honhar Scholarships. Students of 68 subjects and disciplines will be able to meet their educational expenses through scholarships under the programme."

Students under the age of 22 with the domicile of Punjab will be eligible for the scholarship. The monthly income of the parents of the eligible student should be less than Rs300,000.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said, "In order to ensure transparency in the Scholarship Programme, all applications were received and processed through an online portal."

She added, "In addition to the committee of each educational institution, the scrutiny process was also carried out by a provincial-level committee, and the entire process was supervised by a steering committee chaired by Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb."

The chief minister highlighted, "The first ceremony of the Honhar Scholarship Programme was held at the University of Punjab, in which scholarships were awarded to 2,473 students, whereas in the second ceremony held at FAST University Islamabad, scholarships will be distributed among a total of 2,570 students of Rawalpindi division."

She said, "Under the Honhar Scholarship Programme, 1,886 students of UET Lahore were awarded scholarships."

She added that 1,660 scholarships were for students of public sector universities, while 637 were for the students of private sector universities.