JAMMU, Jul 22: Government Degree College (GDC) Paloura organised a counselling-cum-guidance session for students to create awareness about various scholarship schemes, education loan facilities and student welfare initiatives.
The programme was conducted under the guidance of the Principal, Dr. Savi Behl, and began with a welcome address.
During the session, Prof. Poonam Rainu delivered a detailed presentation on the PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme 2026, the PM-USP Central Sector Interest Subsidy Scheme (CSIS) and the Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Education Loans. She also explained the registration process and benefits of the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
Highlighting recent reforms, Prof. Rainu informed students about the revised scholarship framework, under which the policy has shifted from “One Student – One Scholarship” to “One Student – Multiple Scholarships” from the academic year 2026 onwards, enabling eligible students to avail multiple scholarship opportunities.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Ashwani Kumar explained the significance of the SIGMA (Students Integrated Grievances and Messaging Application) Portal, which has been introduced to strengthen grievance redressal and communication between students and the institution.
The college has also established a dedicated Help Desk to provide information regarding welfare and merit-based scholarship schemes. The initiative aims to ensure greater awareness, timely submission of applications, effective implementation of the revised scholarship framework and wider outreach among students. The details have also been circulated through the college website, notice boards and students’ WhatsApp groups.
Faculty members Dr. Chinmei Sharma, Dr. Usha Rani and Dr. Sikander Shah Khan were also present during the session.
The programme was organised by the Scholarship Committee in collaboration with the Students’ Redressal and Grievance Cell of the college and witnessed enthusiastic participation from students of all semesters.
The session concluded with a formal vote of thanks proposed by Prof. Poonam Raina.