Only students from AIIMS Kalyani, CMCH in Bengal eligible for edu loans

A moratorium of course duration plus one year is allowed, with repayment over up to 15 years.

- SUBHENDU MAITI

Meritorious students of only two teaching hospitals—Calcutta Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Kalyani — across West Bengal can get education loans under Model Education Loan Scheme (MELS) formulated by the Indian Banks' Association (IBA).

The National Medical Commission (NMC), sole body monitoring medical education throughout the country, on 15 June has issued a public notice in this regard and released a list of 50 medical institutions run by either central government or respective state governments.

According to the notice, meritorious medical students of these 50 teaching hospitals belonging to the Quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs) category across states and Union Territories (UTs) are eligible to get the loans easily under the MELS, which enables 'collateral free, guarantor free education loans by banks through a simple, transparent, student-friendly and digital application process.

The details of the scheme are available at PM Vidyalaxmi portal (https://pmvidyalaxmi.co.in), the NMC notice states.