Dhaka: High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi on Tuesday congratulated the latest cohort of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarship recipients from Bangladesh for the academic year 2026-2027 and urged the young scholars to be ambassadors of Bangladesh in India.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the High Commissioner encouraged the students to use the opportunity to study in India not only to excel in their respective fields but also to explore the country, build lasting friendships, and serve as bridges between Bangladesh and India. Trivedi was addressing a send-off ceremony hosted by the High Commission of India in Dhaka to bid farewell to the students selected for the prestigious ICCR scholarships. The event was held on the High Commission premises.
The event was attended by over 120 students from Dhaka who will shortly travel to India to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral courses ranging from Engineering to Fine Arts and from Pharmacy to Music at some of India’s premier institutes. This year, 541 students from across Bangladesh have been awarded ICCR scholarships, of whom 500 received the prestigious Subarno Jayanti Scholarship to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral courses in both STEM and non-STEM disciplines. A total of 38 students received the Lata Mangeshkar Dance and Music Scholarship to pursue courses related to dance, music, and culture in India. Three students were also awarded the ICCR’s QUAD Scholarship, enabling them to pursue undergraduate STEM courses in India.
More than 7,700 applications were received from across Bangladesh for ICCR scholarships this year, and 541 students were selected following a proficiency test and interviews conducted by the High Commission of India in Dhaka and the Assistant High Commissions of India in Bangladesh. Addressing the scholars, the High Commissioner reminded them that only 6% of the applicants had secured ICCR scholarships. He said India was awaiting the scholars with open arms and that studying there would provide them with a wonderful opportunity to experience the country’s diversity.
The envoy thanked the parents of the scholarship recipients for nurturing these brilliant minds and placing their trust in India for higher education. The ICCR Scholarship is a flagship programme of the Government of India for meritorious Bangladeshi nationals to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD courses at top-tier institutes in India across various disciplines, including Engineering, Science, Literature, Humanities, and Fine Arts. The fully funded scholarship provides a unique opportunity for students to study at world-class institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), National Institute of Technology (NIT), Delhi University, Visva-Bharati University, the University of Mumbai, and Anna University. Recipients of ICCR scholarships are exempt from paying tuition or other university fees. In addition, they receive a monthly stipend from ICCR to cover their daily expenses.