800-cr scholarship scam begins to unravel
Wednesday, 27/09/2017
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Chandigarh : Layers of the Post Matric Scholarship scam have begun to open. As much as Rs 800 crore had gone ‘missing’ since last two years, issued by the Central government for the education of SC/BC students in various unaided educational institutions of Punjab.
There is no record of where these funds were spent. Sources in the department of SC/BC Welfare said that after the order of fresh audit of accounts of various educational institutions, Rs 300 crore were traced and audit is still going on. Sources also disclosed that after the audit fear, an educational institution wilfully surrendered Rs 70 lakh, saying these funds were unutilised, after the gap of two years.
The Central government had stopped the release of Rs 1100 crore funds to Punjab for not providing utility certificates of Rs 800 crore used in the past under post matric scholarship schemes. The amount was to be released for the education of SC/BC students studying in different educational institutes of Punjab. The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has written letters to the Punjab government asking it where the Rs 800 were spent out of Rs 1,100 crore issued by the Union government. According to the letter, Rs 1,100 crore was released to Punjab under the Post Scholarship Scheme three years ago. The Utility Certificate of Rs 300 crore was submitted, but for the rest amount of Rs 800 crore, no UC was submitted by the Punjab.
That is why the Centre has refused to release the amount of Rs 1,100 crore to Punjab for 2016-17. In the private and unaided colleges of Punjab, more than three lakh students belonging to SC/BC has been getting education in various streams. All expenditure on the education of these students is borne by the Union government. The amount is to be released to these private and unaided educational institutions through state government. But due to non-release of funds, private and unaided colleges are facing financial crisis.
After the meeting by Chief Minister with the Union Ministry, the Minister of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Welfare Sadhu Singh Dharmsot had met with Union Minister Thavar Chand Gahlot few days ago, to sort out the issue. Sources said that although an audit team was engaged already, but the department has engaged a fresh audit team to study the ‘missing ‘amount. In the first phase, the team has got success in tracing missing of Rs 300 crore out of Rs 800 crore. Dharmsot said that accused will not be spared and outcome of audit report will be publically after its findings.
