The Dharwad-headquartered Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) will support meritorious girl students from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) by providing cash incentives for their education.

The KVGB Chairman, Shreekant M Bhandiwad, said the bank has allocated ₹30 lakh for this initiative in the current financial year. Under this scheme, 20 government high schools will be identified under each of the 10 regional offices of the bank across nine districts in Karnataka. The top-performing SC/ST girl students from Class 8, 9 and 10 in these schools will receive a cash incentive of ₹5,000 per class to support their education.

Quoting Bhandiwad, a media statement said: “Education is the key to empowerment, and it is our moral responsibility to support young girls from weaker sections of the society in their academic journey. This initiative aims to motivate them to pursue higher education in the days to come.”

KVGB has 629 branches across nine districts in Karnataka, serving over 77 lakh customers with a business turnover of ₹36,000 crore. As Regional Rural Banks enter their 50th year, KVGB plans to launch various development programmes throughout the next financial year as part of its commitment to rural progress, the statement said.

Published on February 7, 2025