Vedanth Sharma and Yash Raj Rai selected for Nar Bahadur Bhandari Fellowship grant

GANGTOK,: Sikkim government today announced two candidates for 2022 Nar Bahadur Bhandari Fellowship Scheme. Gangtok resident Vedanth Sharma and Namchi resident Yash Raj Rai have been selected for the fellowship worth Rs. 1 crore to study in world’s top universities.
The fellowship is awarded to graduate students who succeed in securing admission to a master’s course in any of the top 20 universities of the world.  
According to a CMO release, Vedanth Sharma will be pursuing MS in Aeronautics & Astronautics in Stanford University and Yash Raj Rai will be joining Imperial College in London for MSc in Financial Technology.
Yash Raj has already left for London and his classes have already begun. He pcompleted B.Tech in Information Technology from National Institute of Technology-Durgapur. During his studies, the 26-year-old also interned with JP Morgan Chase and Company in Bengaluru for three years.
Yash Raj said, “Imperial College was my first preferance. I was always devoted which had a combination of finance and tecnhology.”
Similarly, 23-year-old Vedanth Sharma graduated in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Bombay this year.
Vedanth cracked the IIT through JEE in 2018 where he was able to clear JEE Mains and Advanced to get admission in IIT Bombay. He had secured admission in the general category. Vedanth’s classes at the Ivy League University will begin from September 26. He will leave for the United States on September 15.
Speaking to SIKKIM EXPRESS, Vedanth shared: “I was always interested in Aerospace Engineering. With a lot of support and hard work from family, friends and faculties, I was able to complete my graduation from IIT Bombay. Now for the Masters in Aerospace, which is expensive, the government has come to aid in ensuring my dream of securing Stanford University. I had also tried in six other American universities. I had to reject University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, Purdue University, University of Illinois among others all for Aerospace Engineering.”
Vedanth had also secured job in India after IIT Bombay but he wished to study further. He claims, “The motivation is towards securing NASA, but citizenship is an issue as they look for American citizens. In India, there is a lot of application for Aerospace Engineering. The field I have chosen covers wider technology needs in agriculture sector and even tourism.”
The Chief Minister has congratulated both the students for obtaining admission in these universities. Under the all-expenses paid scheme, covering tuitions, travel and living expenses, the State government is awarding Rs. 50 lakh each to the two students.
The Nar Bahadur Bhandari Fellowship Scheme launched this year on the 80th birth anniversary of former three-time Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari aims to provide opportunity for  promising graduates to pursue higher studies in the world’s top 20 universities.
The NBBF scheme aims at recognizing and nurturing the most brilliant minds of the next generation Sikkimese, providing students the exposure and platform amidst the finest education of the world, paving the way for academic excellence and not limiting to financial constraints or prospects and taking the best from Sikkim to the best of the world. Ushering a culture of academic excellence, the scheme also aims at creating a new benchmark as a commitment to scholarly merit in higher education.