India on September 16 officially launch an initiative to offer up to 1,000 integrated PhD Fellowships for ASEAN students at its 23 Indian Institutes of Technology.

The event was joined by Indian Foreign Minister S.Jaishankar, Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank”, all ASEAN Ambassadors to India and media persons.

At the launching ceremony, Indian Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said the scholarships will go a long way in strengthening ties between India and ASEAN nations.

The move came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to enhance academic relations with the Southeast Asian nations last year.

The fellowship programme at a total budget outlay of 3 billion INR (over 40 million USD) will provide 250 scholarships this year, 300 in 2020 and 450 in 2021.

According to the Indian government, the funding will cover the entire cost of study and living expenses for up to five years of a PhD programme.

The first batch of the ASEAN students will be admitted in January 2020./.