Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Gujarat Govt Loan Helps Student Build Engineering Career in Canada
A young man named Ratranshu Panchal grew up in Rajpipla, a town in Gujarat, India.
He was a very good student and dreamed of studying engineering in another country.
But his family did not have enough money for that.
While he was studying, his father died in a road accident.
His mother, Prital, worked hard to keep the family going.
Banks would not give the family a loan because they did not have enough money or property.
Then they learned about a special loan scheme from the Gujarat government.
The government gave them Rs 15 lakh at a very low interest rate.
With that help, Ratranshu studied at the University of Windsor in Canada and finished with great marks.
Now he works as a mechanical engineer in Canada, and his dream has come true.
The Gujarat government's Overseas Study Loan Scheme provided Rs 15 lakh at 4 per cent interest to Ratranshu Panchal, an SEBC student from Gujarat's Narmada district.
The loan funded Panchal's master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Windsor in Canada, which he completed with excellent results.
Panchal's father, Rakeshkumar, died in a road accident in 2019, after which his mother, Prital Panchal, supported the family and pursued the loan.
Private banks had declined adequate financial support due to the family's financial position and guarantee requirements before the government scheme approved the loan.
Panchal now works as a Mechanical Engineer in the corporate sector in Canada, while his brother Om Panchal studies at GSFC University in Vadodara.
- Who
- Ratranshu Panchal, an SEBC student from Rajpipla in Narmada district, his mother Prital Panchal, and the Gujarat government's Social Justice and Empowerment Department.
- What
- Ratranshu completed a master's in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Windsor in Canada, funded by a Rs 15 lakh loan under the Overseas Study Loan Scheme, and is now working as a Mechanical Engineer there.
- When
- After his father's death in 2019, when the family faced financial hurdles and applied for the government loan.
- Where
- Rajpipla in Narmada district, Gujarat, India (family home); University of Windsor, Canada (studies); Canada (current employment).
- Why
- To overcome the financial barrier that threatened to prevent Ratranshu from pursuing higher studies abroad and to fulfil his late father's dream of a successful career for his elder son.
- Scheme
- Overseas Study Loan Scheme (Gujarat government)
- Loan amount
- Rs 15 lakh
- Interest rate
- 4 per cent
- Implementing body
- Social Justice and Empowerment Department
- Eligibility
- SEBC students pursuing higher education abroad
- Beneficiary
- Ratranshu Panchal
- Course and university
- Master's in Mechanical Engineering, University of Windsor, Canada
- Current status
- Working as a Mechanical Engineer in the corporate sector in Canada