Prime Minister Narendra Modi Cabinet approved PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme to provide financial support to meritorious students, to ensure financial constraints do not prevent any youth of India from pursuing quality higher education
PM Modi Govt aims to implement PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme in a mission mode to facilitate and drive the extension of education loans to meritorious students who get admission in the top 860 quality higher educational institutions of the nation, translating to covering more than 22 lakh students every year
A special loan product will enable for collateral free, guarantor free education loans; made accessible through a simple, transparent, student-friendly and entirely digital application process
Loan amounts up to ₹ 7.5 lakhs will be provided a 75% credit guarantee by the Government of India, to support banks to expand coverage
Furthermore, for students with up to Rs. 8 lakhs annual family income, the scheme will also provide for 3% interest subvention on loans up to Rs 10 lakh
This is in addition to the full interest subvention already offered to students with up to Rs. 4.5 lakhs annual family income
“PM Vidyalaxmi is another key initiative stemming out of the National Education Policy, 2020, which had recommended that financial assistance should be made available to meritorious students through various measures in both public and private HEIs. Under the PM Vidyalaxmi scheme, any student who gets admission in quality Higher Education Institution (QHEIs) will be eligible to get collateral free, guarantor free loan from banks and financial institutions to cover full amount of tuition fees and other expenses related to the course. The scheme will be administered through a simple, transparent and student-friendly system that will be inter-operable and entirely digital,” explained a press release from Press Information Bureau (PIB).
The scheme will be applicable to the top quality higher educational institutions of the nation, as determined by the NIRF rankings – including all HEIs, government and private, that are ranked within the top 100 in NIRF in overall, category-specific and domain specific rankings; state government HEIs ranked in 101-200 in NIRF and all central government governed institutions. This list will be updated every year using the latest NIRF ranking, and to begin starts with 860 qualifying QHEIs, covering more than 22 lakh students to be able to potentially avail benefits of PM-Vidyalaxmi; if they so desire.
