Embassy of India

Rome, Italy

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has announced 100 ICCR Scholarships Slots globally under Lata Mangeshkar Dance & Music Scholarship Scheme (A1209) (formerly ICCR Scholarship Scheme for Indian Culture) for pursuing study of Indian Culture such as dance, music, theater, performing art, sculpture, Indian languages, Indian cuisine, etc. for the academic year 2024-25.

Applications are invited from Italian students interested to pursue higher studies in Indian Universities / Institutes for studies of Indian Culture such as dance, music, theater, performing art, sculpture, Indian languages, Indian cuisine, etc.

Applications will be invited online through ICCR'S scholarship portal https://studyinindia.gov.in/, which will be operational from 20 February 2024. The Scholarship Portal will be operational for students applying for admission from 20 February till 30 April, 2024.

Age criteria for applicants: For Undergraduate / Postgraduate courses - between 18 to 40 years For PhD Programmes - 50 years maximum.

General 'Timeline for the admission process : -

Applicants will have the option to apply to 5 Universities / Institutes in the order of their preference of study. The admission, as far as possible, shall be given as per applicant's preference. However, there may be a situation when students do not get admission in their preferred Universities/Institutes due to limited number of seats on offer. Rejected candidates will be intimated by Universities.

ICCR has introduced disbursement of all scholarship payment to students through Public Financial Management System (PFMS) w.e.f. February. 2021 This is as per Government of India’s guidelines on direct payment to beneficiaries.

Applicants will have to submit 500 words essay in English has been introduced to ascertain English proficiency. Besides, applicants can also submit their TOFEL / IELTS etc.

In case Association of Indian Universities (AlU) Equivalence Certificate is required in order to finalize admission and allot the scholarship, the same should be obtained by the student himself/herself once informed by concerned University / Institute in their Provisional Confirmation letter for applicant (uploaded in Portal).

In case AIU equivalence is required the student may apply for the same at the link https://evaluation.aiu.ac.in/student/login and bear the fees incurred on obtaining the certificate at own expense (non-reimbursable). For any further details / queries, students may contact AIU at (+91 1123230059 / 23231097 I 23232305 Extn. 210, 234, 252,
E-mail idrstudentinfo@aiu.ac.in, ds_international@aiu.ac.in, evaluation@aiu.ac.in

These scholarship slots include return economy class air-fares to the nearest airport and 3^rd AC Train fare to the place of study, if so required. Embassy of India, Rome would provide one way air-ticket to the selected scholars.

Applicants must ensure to fulfill all the eligibility criteria of the University they are applying for and should submit relevant documentation as required by the Universities, in addition to the basic certificates mentioned in the application form. Interested students are advised to visit university / institute website and do thorough research of courses offered, eligibility criteria and general information about the university / institute before applying for admission. The students should ensure that they are eligible for the course and meet the eligibility criteria and should submit relevant documentation as required by the Universities in addition to the basic certificates mentioned in the application form. They should always refer to the Universities Handbook / University Grants Commission's website and the concerned university / institute's website for eligibility criteria etc.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

• Applicants should not submit incomplete / fraudulent documentation, in case of which their selection procedure will automatically be deemed as canceled.

• Medical Insurance : compulsory personal medical insurance is a mandatory requirement for availing of ICCR's scholarship. It is compulsory for all ICCR scholarship students to procure Medical Insurance policy with minimum sum assured for Indian Rupees Five Lakhs per annum. Applicants are advised that to ensure, they must have medical insurance coverage on their own either before travel or immediately after reaching India, whatever is convenient to students. Students can purchase medical insurance from any of the insurance companies of their choice. However to facilitate students, Portal has two insurance companies for referral purpose. Applicants are advised to be aware of the change in medical insurance policy. ICCR has uploaded the revised norms on its Portal.

• Familiarization with India : It is essential for the applicants to have a realistic assessment of India, and of the living conditions in the country's educational institutions. ICCR may amend some provisions of scholarships from time to time and it is incumbent on students to accept the revised norms.

• Accommodation and Security : ICCR advises students to stay in hostel, if available. However, students are allowed to stay in private accommodation if the concerned institute does not insist on staying in their hostel.

• To automate the entire manual work process of ICCR's scholarship division, ICCR has launched an application. 'Gyan Setu’ – connecting Culture through Knowledge on 6 February, 2023. Since the inception of ‘Gyan Setu’ app, all the scholarship dues to the Universities/institutes as well as to the Students, are being released through this app only. As such (i) Students are directed to report their arrival on the Gyan_Setu web application on an immediate basis. (ii) Students are required to coordinate with their respective Universities/institutes regarding updation of their details such as joining report on the app. (iii) Submission & Verification of Documents/Confirmation of Admission-To submit the original documents and verify the details mentioned in the Portal during the admission process with their original documents including Passport, previous degree certificates, country's unique identification number, in order to confirm the admission of students and get the Hostel Accommodation as soon as the admission is confirmed. The details entered in the Portal, if in case, does not match with the original documents, the admission of the said student be termed as cancelled.

Applicants must submit undertaking that the course and the University as conveyed is acceptable and that he / she will not request for change at the time of admissions.

Applicants must submit undertaking that they have read the terms and conditions / Guidelines of ICCR scholarship as specified in the Scholarship Manual 2024-25 available on Portal. The one time undertaking will be applicable even when scholarship manual is updated.

Detailed guidelines on the process of applying for ICCR Scholarships will be available on the Portal.

For any further clarification/query in this regard, Ms. Hemlata Bansal, Programme Officer, Scholarship Division may be contacted on e-mail poisd1.iccr@nic.in Landline No. +91- 11-23379'199 (Direct) / 23379309110114 (Extn.: 1137) /WhatApp No.9868129165

The prospective candidates are requested to inform this Embassy at cultural.rome@mea.gov.in and tourism.rome@mea.gov.in immediately after they have successfully uploaded their applications on the ICCR’s Portal.

Lata Mangeshkar Dance & Music Scholarship Scheme Information Brochure