Udayer Pathe, a scholarship programme aimed at tapping budding talent in rural schools and nurturing them to become doctors, was put on stream on Saturday, with 159 selected students from 19 districts being handed over their certificates.

The scholarship programme, which will offer the chosen Class VII students from district schools a monthly stipend of Rs 500 for their Class XII education, is a joint initiative of Asia Heart Foundation (AHF) and Rotary Club of Calcutta Mahanagar.

“We will ensure that at least 2,000 children from the villages become doctors each year, which is absolutely essential if our plan of creating 30,000 hospital beds in the next three years is to be carried out,” Devi Shetty, cardiac surgeon and the chairman of AHF, said at the function.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was the chief guest at the ceremony and said that such an initiative could go a long way in building a “healthy nation”.

“It’s a shame that many appointed doctors in the district hospitals never report for duty and people die of conditions like diarrhoea for lack of treatment,” he lamented.

Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya said preventive medicine and primary healthcare need to be focussed on.

“Over the past few years, we have seen students from rural Bengal outshining their city counterparts in Board exams. Many of these meritorious students often don’t have the resources to pursue higher studies. A scheme like this can help them realise their dreams,” he added.

State school education minister Partha Dey could not attend the function, but congratulated the students, wishing them success in life through his message. His department, a partner in the programme, conducted the screening process in the district schools.

“Rotary always looks for an opportunity to serve and help and when we learnt about this project, we immediately decided to be associated with the programme,” said Shekhar Mehta, the former district governor of Rotary International.

Apart from the monthly stipend, AHF will provide all logistic support to the selected students.

“We will also give them career guidance and counselling, which could really boost their chances of pursuing medicine and all those who complete their medical education successfully, will be absorbed by us,” claimed Kunal Sarkar, the director of administrative services, AHF.