Financial woes forces Kerala to scrap ‘Dhanus’ training scheme for undergraduate students

Thrissur: The Kerala government has scrapped the ‘Dhanus’ scheme, which was launched to provide opportunities for undergraduate students in the state to pursue higher studies in world-class universities. The programme aimed to give students expert training through Career Development Centres (CDC) and ensure better employment prospects after graduation.

The scheme, which began in Perambra, Kozhikode, in 2019, had received wide acceptance but was halted midway due to a financial crisis.

‘Dhanus’ marked the first instance in the country where a government introduced such a training programme for students. The model involved selecting 200 first-year students from each district and offering them training for three years. The scheme was designed after it was found that only a small number of students in Kerala were able to secure admissions to top universities.

The government had pledged to tackle the high unemployment rate among graduates through the training. Of the 179 students who completed the first three years, 139 went on to secure admission in various colleges.

Although the Public Administration Department had recommended reviving the scheme, expanding it to more centres and allocating funds, no further action was taken.