The Dr. Ravi Pillai Academic Excellence Scholarship for outstanding students from Kerala will be handed over in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a function to be held in Thiruvananthapuram on February 11, 2026. The scholarships will be awarded to 1500 deserving students in the first batch of the scheme.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will also inaugurate the scholarship distribution. Norka Roots Chief Executive Officer Ajith Kolassery said that the deserving students were identified from 10,942 applicants received as part of the scheme.
He made this known at a press conference called to explain the scholarship handover ceremony to be held at the Nishagandhi Auditorium on February 11. The function, presided over by Education Minister V. Sivankutty, was attended by Revenue Minister K. Rajan, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal, MPs, MLAs, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Department A.P.M. Muhammed Haneesh, RP Group Chairman and NORKA Roots Director Dr. B. Ravi Pillai, NORKA Roots Resident Vice Chairman P. Sreeramakrishnan, Kerala Pravasi Keraliya Welfare Board Chairman Adv. Gafoor P. Lillis, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor V.V. Rajesh, Lok Kerala Sabha Director Asif K. Yusuf, high-ranking officials of NORKA Roots and RP Foundation will also participate.
The ceremony to be held at Nishagandhi Auditorium at 3.30 pm will be welcomed by NORKA Department Secretary Anupama T.V. and voted by Ajit Kolassery. The Ravi Pillai Foundation, headed by prominent expatriate industrialist, RP Group Chairman and NORKA Roots Director Dr. B. Ravi Pillai, is implementing the scholarship scheme in collaboration with the state government organization NORKA Roots.
The foundation has set aside Rs. 525 crore for the scholarship for the next 50 years. This year, Rs. 10 crore will be distributed for educational assistance to 1500 students. At the higher secondary level, 950 students in the state syllabus, 100 in CBSE and 50 in ICSE will receive scholarships of Rs. 50,000 each, and 1500 students, including 950 students, will receive scholarships of Rs. 50,000 each, and at the degree (Rs. 1 lakh each) and postgraduate (Rs. 1.5 lakh each) levels. In each category, 20 percent of the scholarships are for children of expatriate Keralites and five percent are for students with disabilities.
