How Chief Minister’s College Students Rehabilitation Scheme can benefit students in violence-hit Manipur

The state government has launched a scheme provide necessary educational facilities to the undergraduate students who have been affected by the ongoing tension at Manipur. A lot of students have been displaced and their family members killed ever since clashes began in the state in May this year. To ensure students’ access to education is uninterrupted amid the ongoing strife, the Manipur government has come up with the ‘Chief Minister’s College Students Rehabilitation Scheme 2023’.

The scheme was recently launched by state education minister Thounaojam Basantakumar Singh at capital Imphal.

Eligibility

As per reports, over 12,000 students are currently residing at 336 relief camps across the state. Around 51 colleges in the state, out of which 34 are government colleges and the rest are government-aided will be benefitted through the Chief Minister’s College Students Rehabilitation Scheme 2023 or CMCSRS 2023, the purpose of which is to control dropout rate of the students especially in the undergraduate level.

Students studying in the government and government-aided colleges of Manipur can apply online to avail of the benefits under the scheme. Students pursuing undergraduate programme at any private or government-aided colleges can also apply under the scheme.

A screening committee set up by the state will screen all the applications submitted till last date. Since internet services have been disrupted since the past couple of months in many parts of the state, students can submit applications through the deputy commissioners of their respective districts.

Benefits

The education minister said that the scheme will facilitate inter-college transfer of students as requested by them. This is the need of the hour in the present violent situation in the state with admission amount ranging from Rs 5000-Rs 9000.

He also announced the following benefits. The scheme will also allow affected students to get free admission in the government and government-aided colleges for the academic session 2023-24. Under CMCSRS, affected undergraduate students will be given financial support to purchase books, stationery, uniforms and other necessities.

CMCSRS will allow directly affected students to be eligible for free admission for the academic session 2023-24. They are also eligible to receive a one-time rehabilitation grant worth Rs.10,000. Apart from this, students will also be provided with smartphones, sanitary pads (for girl students) and sports equipments as per requirement, as announced by the minister.