Arunachal Pradesh offers free UPSC coaching, financial incentives for aspirants

The government of Arunachal Pradesh is providing free coaching for aspirants of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination and financial incentives to encourage candidates appearing for national-level competitive exams, Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona informed the Assembly on March 6.

Replying to a question raised by BJP MLA Wanglin Lowangdong during Question Hour, Mr. Sona said the state government is offering free UPSC coaching for aspirants from tribal communities through a New Delhi-based institute.
He stated that the government provides a one-time financial incentive of Rs 2 lakh to candidates who clear the preliminary stage of the civil services examination and Rs 3 lakh to those who qualify in the mains examination.

The minister also said that the government extends one-time financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to candidates clearing national-level examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, including the National Defence Academy Examination (NDA), Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS), Indian Forest Service Examination and Indian Engineering Services Examination.

Additionally, tribal students securing admission to premier institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and National Law Universities are provided a one-time assistance of Rs 2 lakh, he added.

Mr. Sona further informed the House that the government has established career counselling facilities in all colleges across the state and has organised language enhancement courses for tribal students in collaboration with the British Council India.

Responding to a supplementary query on students studying outside the state and abroad, the minister said the government does not maintain specific records of such students. However, according to data available on the National Scholarship Portal, around 11,775 students from Arunachal Pradesh are currently pursuing studies outside the state.

He noted that the actual number could be higher as many students do not apply for scholarships and therefore do not appear in official records.

Under the Arunachal Pradesh Academic Excellence Scheme (APAES), the government has also sanctioned Rs 194.40 lakh during the current financial year to support four students pursuing higher studies in universities ranked among the top 150 in the QS World University Rankings.

“The responsibility of the government is to empower students through various schemes, and they can apply for necessary scholarships,” the minister said.