By Sekhar Seshan. Consulting Editor, Business India

Financial scholarships to meritorious science students from disadvantaged backgrounds, especially girls from rural Maharashtra, are a priority with the CSR activities of Pune-based custard major and jelly major WeiKFiELD, as is the standard with many other corporate entities. It however goes a step further: it has the unique distinction of this initiative of the Foundation is the pairing of its scholarship grants with a comprehensive mentoring programme.

Besides supporting its wards through three years in their Bachelors and two more years in their Masters programmes – and even the post-graduate or doctoral studies of those who show exceptional talent and interest – the Malhotra WeiKFiELD Foundation provides each scholar with a volunteer mentor who guides and coaches him or her on the challenges they face with their studies, attendance, family and personal issues to ensure their overall holistic development. “This is our way of encouraging youth, from rural areas, especially girls to become empowered and contribute positively to society,” says Mukesh Malhotra, managing director of WeiKFiELD Products Corporation LLP.

The Foundation, set up by the Malhotra family for various CSR activities focussed on education and healthcare, also organises monthly workshops conducted by experts in different fields, for the students’ development in other areas like soft skills and time management.

Other than graduate and post-graduate science scholarships, WeiKFiELD also endows other scholarships: for management and law students at Symbiosis in Pune, nanotechnology students in Bengaluru, as well as scholars at the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru and the Muktangan Exploratory Science Centre in Pune. It also gives scholarships to 500 school children in the CES Chaitanya English Medium School and Junior College, Pune.