NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited (NSDL e-Gov) (estb.1995) – the pioneering provider of E-governance solutions to facilitate public services like Aadhaar registrations and goods and services tax (GST) implementation – has recently launched its third public service web application – Vidya Kaushal in the education space. Vidya Kaushal is an online platform which allows students pursuing skill development courses offered by National Skill Development Corporation’s (NSDC) training partners to apply for personal loans. The common portal connects students to multiple non-banking financial entities (NBFCs) offering such loans.
NSDL e-Gov originally setup as a share depository, stepped into the education space in 2015 launching Vidya Lakshmi, an education loan aggregator portal that has awarded 24,986 scholarships to students since its inception. In 2016, in collaboration with Tata Housing and ACC Cement NSDL e-governance launched the Vidyasaarathi, an online portal helping students search and apply for online education scholarships. The programme has associated with 10 corporates and has including awarded educational scholarships to 1283 students till date. Funds are disbursed within 15 days after shortlisting of students by the corporate.
Comments Gagan Rai, MD & CEO of NSDL e-Governance, “Since the response is positive for both the portals, NSDL e-Governance aims to make Vidyasaarathi and Vidya Lakshmi as India’s largest Scholarship and Education loan platform for making education affordable and accessible for all students in the country. We provide seamless accessibility through a single form while applying to loans and scholarships through these portals. NSDL e-Governance also plans to venture out in the field of primary education funding through Vidyasaarathi. These plans are currently in a nascent stage and we are working to crystallise these. Apart from focusing on the technological aspect, NSDL e-Governance also sets up camps for students in the rural areas. These camps specially focus on spreading awareness on the availability of scholarships through the Vidyasaarathi.”