Fund: The Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) received a sum of Nu 15 million for the Nehru-Wangchuck Scholarship from the Government of India (GoI), yesterday.

The scholarship programme provides opportunities for Bhutanese to study in premier Indian institutes, according to an RCSC press release.

The programme is expected to develop human resource capacities in areas critical to Bhutan’s development.

The ambassador of India to Bhutan, Jaideep Sarkar, handed over the cheque to RCSC chairman, Dasho Karma Tshiteem, in Thimphu.

The Nehru-Wangchuck Scholarship was instituted in June 2009.

The duration of the programme was for five years and ended in 2014. During this phase, a total of 39 Bhutanese were awarded scholarships for various long-term trainings.

The programme was renewed for another five years and the budget doubled to Nu 20 million following the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bhutan that same year.

The monthly stipend and establishment allowance were also doubled to Nu 50,000 per month and Nu 10,000 respectively.

So far, 35 Bhutanese have been awarded the scholarship under the second phase.

Besides civil servants, the scholarship is also available to the private and corporate sectors, including the Royal University of Bhutan through the labour ministry.

Staff reporter