The Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) has distributed scholarships to the tune of ₹102 crore for government school students under its flagship programme titled Support the Advancement of Rural Students (STARS) scheme since its inception way back in 2008, said G. Viswanathan, founder and Chancellor, VIT, on Sunday.

In his presidential address at the STARS Day celebration event, which was organised by VIT in its campus here, Mr. Viswanathan said that the scheme aimed to support high-achieving students from rural government schools who secure excellent marks in higher secondary examinations but lack the financial means to pursue further education. “So far, 1,147 students have benefited under the scheme. The VIT has borne the entire cost of their education, accommodation, and food, amounting to ₹102 crore,” he said.

Nordic countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland have achieved remarkable progress through strong education systems and robust social welfare models. A democratic country like India could learn valuable lessons from their development strategies that could help the overall growth of the country, he said.

On the occasion, K.R. Nagarajan, founder and Chairman, Ramraj Group, J. Kavitha, a former STARS scholar and currently serving as Special Deputy Collector of Theni, Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan, vice-presidents, VIT, were present.