Mangalore: Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation and World Konkani Centre organized Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarships award ceremony 2014 at TV Ramana Pai convention hall on August 20, Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Manipal Global Education Chairman T V Mohandas Pai said that if the government fails to address the problems, the trust will file a PIL in the Supreme Court demanding share for linguistic minorities as per the rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

He also said that Article 30 does not describe any distinction between the minorities. The failure of government, linguistic minorities are not getting their constitutional due.

At the beginning, a study on legal aspects based on the past Supreme Court judgments will be done and further decide to file a PIL, if it requires. The guaranteed benefits mentioned in the Constitution mustd benefit all the minorities across the country, he added.

Vishwa Konkani Kendra President Basti Vaman Shenoy presided over the programme.

Mumbai Executive Director Sandeep S Shenoy, Sri Venkatramana Temple Managing Trustee M Padmanabha Pai, ICYM Central Council Mangalore Diocese President Melreeda Rodrigues, VKSSF Chairman Ramdas Kamath were present.

MLC Ivan D’Souza assured to raise the issue of Konkani language and Konkani community during the next session at Belgaum.

Manipal Global Education Chairman T V Mohandas Pai distributes Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarships award to selected students.

Speaking at the press meet, VKSSF Chairman U Ramdas Kamath said that the VKSSF was started in 2010. The total budget for scholarship in the last five years is Rs 8.5 crore.

He also said that VKSS has distributed scholarships to 2005 engineering students, 101 medical students, 12 students to study abroad, 1,875 degree students, 1,458 II PUC students, and 7,000 other scholarships.

This year four students have been given the scholarship amount of Rs 1 lakh per year under the study abroad scholarship.

WKC has also introduced a series of training programmes including ‘Beneficiary orientation and training programme’ (BOTP), ‘Beneficiary Language Skills Improvement Programme (BLSIP),’ General Management and Communication Skills Programme (GMCS), Graduates Employability Skills Development Programmes (GRADES).