Jaipur: The Sarojini Damodaran Foundation (SDF), part of the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives, on Tuesday announced the launch of its Vidyadhan scholarship programme in Rajasthan to support meritorious students from economically weaker backgrounds.

The initiative aims to benefit students studying in government and private schools who have completed class 10 and are currently in class 11.

"In its first year, the programme intends to award scholarships to at least 100 students from Rajasthan, with plans to expand the number in subsequent years," Pankaj Tripathi, principal consultant with the programme, said at a press conference here.

He said that students are selected through a screening process after class 10 and the scholarship continues until graduation in a subject of their choice.

"Currently, the Vidyadhan programme has a presence in 20 states and Union territories including Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and West Bengal. The foundation plans to scale up to 100,000 scholarships in the coming years, eventually covering all Indian states and UTs," he said.

In Rajasthan, the foundation plans to give scholarships to at least 100 students this year.

Tripathi said that so far, over 63,000 scholarships have been awarded under the programme, and 13,000 students are currently receiving support.

"Alumni of Vidyadhan are working as doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, agricultural scientists, government servants, and professionals in reputed firms as well as armed forces," he added.