'Reply To BJP': Amid Ambedkar Row, Arvind Kejriwal Announces Scholarship Scheme For Dalit Students

Last Updated:December 21, 2024, 16:19 IST

Under the Dr Ambedkar Samman Scholarship scheme, the AAP government will provide free education in foreign universities for all Dalit students from the national capital who secure admissions, Kejriwal said

Delhi Assembly Elections are due in February next year.

Ahead of the 2025 assembly polls in Delhi, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party announced on Saturday that it would give a complete scholarship to Dalit students enrolling abroad for higher education. According to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, the Dr Ambedkar Samman Scholarship scheme is a response to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “insult" of the Dalit icon.

Kejriwal said the scheme was inspired by the struggles of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, known as the father of the Indian Constitution.

“Babasaheb (Ambedkar) gave the highest importance to education. He believed that if society wants to progress, only education can do that in just one generation…Today, I want no child from the Dalit community to be deprived of higher education due to lack of money. So today, I am announcing the Dr Ambedkar Scholarship scheme," Kejriwal said in Hindi.

Without going into the details of when the scheme will be launched and when students can apply, he said that if any children from the Dalit community want to study at any top university in the world, all they have to do is get admission.

“All the expenses after the admission will be borne by the Delhi government," Kejriwal said.

Unlike other government schemes that usually exclude government officials, this one will cover even them, the former chief minister said. Kejriwal said he thinks those from the Dalit community working with the government with full honesty would not have enough money to send their children abroad for higher education without a scholarship.

“This is the reply to the mocking of Ambedkar in Parliament by the BJP," he said.

This is the third big announcement in the last two weeks by Kejriwal as the national capital gears up for assembly polls in 2025.

He has already announced two schemes: Rs 2,100 a month for each woman in Delhi and free medical treatment for senior citizens across all hospitals in the city.

While these schemes have been announced now and even the registrations will be done before the polls, the implementation can only be done after the 2025 elections if AAP manages to get re-elected.

The term of the current assembly is ending in February, and the elections are expected to be held that month.

News education-career 'Reply To BJP': Amid Ambedkar Row, Arvind Kejriwal Announces Scholarship Scheme For Dalit Students