Adar Poonawalla Sets Up Fund Of Rs 10 cr To Help Indian Students Travelling Abroad

Image Source: Adar Poonawalla/Twitter</a (Left) / Image Source: Adobe Stock (Right)

Serum Institute of India CEO and owner Adar Poonawalla’s recent tweet has come as a big relief to India’s international students, especially the ones who have applied to universities situated in the EU. Those wanting to study in the EU and be exempted from 10-days quarantine will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, or Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Since SII Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield is yet to receive a green pass, many students were facing challenges travelling abroad. One of the main challenges was the high amount of money students were required to spend for the mandatory 10-days quarantine facility in these nations.

To help students with this fix, Adar Poonawalla has stepped forward and decided to set aside a fund of Rs 10 cr to cover the cost of mandatory quarantine for all the Indian students travelling abroad.

“I remain fully committed to helping Indian students quarantine abroad on arrival for their higher studies. The new Amber List in the UK rules make it clear that Indian students will still need to quarantine, albeit at a place of their choosing. They may, therefore, still incur substantial costs. I have made a personal contribution of Rs.10 crore (1 million pounds) towards the #UnlockEducation scheme announced on NDTV.”, Adar Poonawalla said in a statement while speaking about the initiative.

Those willing to apply and avail of funds to cover their cost for the self-quarantine facility can click here. Although you can start filling out the application form, kindly note that the exact amount to be disbursed will be decided in the coming days when the concerned authorities get a clear idea from universities on the costings of quarantine in residence.

While this initiative was launched, the UK has moved India from its ‘red’ to ‘amber’ list which implies that now travellers fully vaccinated from India won’t have to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine. This new decision will come into effect from 4 am local time on Sunday.

This announcement too has come as a relief to all the Indian students who were to study in the UK.

Aakanksha Ahire

Aakanksha is a feature writer covering youth centric beats involving education, careers, health, lifetsyle, culture, and mental health. Though a Gen Z, she is a Millennial at heart. You can connect with her @aakankshahire