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										<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>chandigarh </strong>: Plaksha University, one of the largest collective philanthropic efforts in India to build a technological university for the future, launched the 'Ayyalasomayajula Lalitha' Fund, to promote the enrollment of girls and women in STEM education, specifically in the higher education.  The University aims to award 50% of all scholarships and grants to female students, which will not only provide equal opportunities for bright minds from disadvantaged backgrounds, but also increase the proportion of girls in STEM education.</p>
 <p style="font-weight: 400;">According to the latest All India Survey of Higher Education, released in the 2019-20 academic year, the percentage of women in engineering and technology in the country is less than 30%.  Announcing its vision in the run-up to the UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Plaksha University said it aims to increase female enrollment.<em> </em>in the institution at 50% for the academic year 2027 through a double strategy.  First, by ensuring that no deserving candidate is denied admission due to lack of financial resources.  Second, by ensuring that the admissions process is holistic and does not rely solely on standardized entrance exams or academic preparation, the well-known pre-university barriers that distort the gender ratio in engineering and STEM.</p>
 <p style="font-weight: 400;">Advancing its mission to provide full and equal access and participation to women in science and technology, the A Lalitha Fund is dedicated to women who wish to pursue higher education in STEM fields.</p>
 <p style="font-weight: 400;">The University leads the inclusion of girls and women in science, with almost a third of the first UG cohort and more than a quarter of the graduate cohort (Leaders in Technology Program) made up of female students.  This has been made possible through scholarships offered by the Bharti Foundation, Axis Bank, V Mart, Mphasis, and the contribution of individual donors and corporations.</p>
 <p style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking on the occasion, <strong>Prof. Rudra Pratap, Founding Vice-Chancellor of Plaksha University (Former Deputy Director of the Indian Institute of Sciences)</strong> saying, <em>“India is a STEM powerhouse and as a technology education provider we are committed to increasing </em><em>female enrollment</em><em> </em><em>by 50 percent by the 2027 academic year. With the new National Education Policy, India is on the cusp of a revolution in higher education.  The policy aims to increase the enrollment of women in technology and engineering, which is currently less than 30%.  At Plaksha, our goal is to encourage and support women to step up and enlighten the world through their diverse perspectives, understandings, and solutions to solving great challenges.</em>.”</p>
 <p style="font-weight: 400;">The first Plaksha undergraduate cohort includes students from 41 cities, towns and villages across India.  They are looking for cutting-edge and contemporary B.Tech degrees offered by the University.  29% of the selected students are from North India, followed by 23% from the South and 19% from the West, making the university culturally versatile and rich in learning.</p> 									</div>
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