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Bengal

MLAs laud 'student credit card' scheme, recollect crisis they faced

KOLKATA: Lauding the effort of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for introducing Student Credit Cards to ensure higher studies for all without any financial constraints, some legislators shared the hardship they had faced while they were students. Their mothers had to mortgage their ornaments so that they could continue with their studies.

While discussing the Budget at the state Assembly, Manik Bhattacharya, Trinamool Congress MLA from Palashipara in Nadia, said: "After I passed out Higher Secondary examination, my mother had to mortgage her golden bangles to get money to help me to take admission in college. But, now students whose mothers do not have golden bangles can also carry on with their higher studies. The reason being the Student Credit Card has been introduced". Setting up another milestone in the education sector, the Mamata Banerjee government launched the world's biggest state-run scheme – Student Credit Card – facilitating soft loans up to Rs 10 lakh each at a minimal interest rate with the state government as guarantor to undertake higher education. Any student residing in Bengal for more than 10 years can avail the loan after getting promoted to class X and up to 40 years of age. The state government has also allocated Rs 250 crore for the project in the Budget 2021-22. The state Animal Resource minister Swapan Debnath turned emotional listening to the memories shared by Bhattacharya. He came close to Bhattacharya's seat in the House and shared the hardships he had faced to pursue higher studies. He also shared that his mother too had to mortgage ornaments so that he could pursue a postgraduate course.

It needs mention that already more than 10,000 students had applied to get the loan in the first five days after the scheme was launched on June 30.

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