india

Updated: May 19, 2020 16:23 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the scholarship scheme for children of central armed forces to wards of state police personnel who lay down their lives in naxal and terrorist attacks. The government also enhanced the monthly scholarship for the children under this scheme from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 for boys and from Rs 2,250 to Rs. 3,000 for girls.

“Our Government’s first decision dedicated to those who protect India! Major changes approved in PM’s Scholarship Scheme’ under the National Defence Fund including enhanced scholarships for wards of police personnel martyred in terror or Maoist attacks,” PM Modi tweeted soon after the decision was taken at the first Cabinet meeting of the new government.

WATCH: Modi govt 2.0 | Higher scholarship for martyrs’ kin on Day 1

PM Modi and his 57-member council of ministers were sworn-in yesterday. Earlier on Friday, the President allocated the portfolios to the new ministers even as PM Modi held back-to-back meetings with five foreign leaders including the visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

Our Government’s first decision dedicated to those who protect India!



Major changes approved in PM’s Scholarship Scheme under the National Defence Fund including enhanced scholarships for wards of police personnel martyred in terror or Maoist attacks. https://t.co/Vm90BD77hm pic.twitter.com/iXhFNlBCIc — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2019

PM Modi’s tweet came moments before he chaired his government’s first Cabinet meeting with his new team of 24 senior ministers. His team includes BJP president Amit Shah who has taken over as Home Minister, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Before heading for the cabinet meeting, many ministers formally took charge of their departments, among them were Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Culture minister Prahlad Singh Patel.