New Delhi: The US Embassy held an event to commemorate the 70th year of the Fulbright scholarship program in India on Sunday.
The gala event organized by the US-India Educational Foundation saw the participation of the Foreign Secretary of India and former Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla, US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster and the US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce.
It was in the year 1950 that Indian PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the then US Ambassador to India Loy Henderson signed a bilateral agreement to implement and administer a country Fulbright program.
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Ever since its launch; 11,128 Fulbright fellowships have been awarded to Indians and Americans. A new agreement was signed between the two nations in 2008, wherein India was made a full partner in the governance and funding of the Fulbright program. Following this the number of fellowships issued to Indians have increased by three times and this has also made India, the largest recipient of this fellowship program.
This fellowship is part of the foundational agreements between India and US. Speaking about it, Ambassador Juster said:
“The US-India relationship is growing rapidly. As I have said many times, I believe that the foundation of our partnership is our people to people ties. The Fulbright- Nehru Program is a perfect example of the impact that our peoples have when they learn from each other and work together.”
This fellowship program that was launched by Senator William Fulbright in 1946 was designed to facilitate mutual interactions between US and other countries. It has grown into a fully recognized international program that has attracted scholars from across the world. Till date, 390,000 fellowships have been issued globally.
The Assistant Secretary of State stated that: “When Senator J William Fulbright introduced the legislation establishing this program, he said it was about leadership, learning and empathy between countries. Tonight’s celebration is a testament to the importance and longevity of Senator Fulbright’s vision.”
Individuals can apply for this fellowship program online on: www.usief.org.in or contact the US Embassy in New Delhi or any of the US consulates in Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai.