Cong walkout on non-disbursed scholarships
Tuesday, 17/03/2015
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DEMANDS HOUSE COMMITTEE TO PROBE FUNDS’ NON-UTILISATION AND DISBURSEMENTS SHOWN, SO FAR
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Monday faced the heat for the non-disbursement of scholarship money to thousands of pre-matric and postmatric students under various schemes for the scheduled caste, backward class and the minority categories, as the opposition Congress staged a walkout demanding a thorough probe into the matter.
The matter came up during the question hour, as minister for welfare of SCs and BCs Gulzar Singh Ranike stated in the House that the state did not disburse a single scholarship under the state-funded scheme for the OBC students of Classes 6 to 8 in 2013-14, and also no money was disbursed under the 100% centrally sponsored pre-matric scholarships in 2012-13.
When leader of opposition Sunil Jakhar sought the minister’s reply as to how come these gaps shown in the entire reply concerning the financial years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 had occurred, the Speaker said the minister had sought some time and the reply would come up in the House on March 20.
Jakhar said that whatever little disbursement of the scholarship money was shown in the reply was also “false”, and he needed a thorough probe to investigate where the money had gone.
He said similar information was sought in the House in December 2012, for which he had received the details, comprising 10 bundles of documents, only a few days ago.
“All these payments or disbursements of the scholarship money to the poor children are needed to be thoroughly probed,” he said. After seeking the formation of a House committee for the probe, the Congress members went into the well of the House, raising anti-government slogans.
On the resultant silence of the ruling benches on the demand for the probe, the Congress members staged a walkout.
NO CLU OF UNIVERSITY
On the government’s reported move to come up with the Punjab Institute of Technology (PIT) at Mansa, technical education minister Madan Mohan Mittal clarified that 54 acres of land was acquired for the purpose that was handed over to the Punjab Technical University (PTU) at Jalandhar.
“The construction work on this land will be started after obtaining the change of land use (CLU). At present, the institute is being run at transit campus at Government Nehru Memorial College, Mansa, in which Classes 11 and 12 non-medical courses (B Tech integrated) are being run since 2011-12.
`1.46 CR PENDING BILLS OF MLAs
In reply to another question, finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said that bills amounting to ` 1.46 crore on account of TA/DA for MLAs were pending in treasuries in the state. He, however, assured the House that the payment would be made by March 31.
1/3RD POSTS VACANT IN NAWANSHAHR HOSPITAL
Health minister Surjit Kumar Jyani informed the House that 39 of the total 110 posts in the Hoshiarpur civil hospital were lying vacant and these vacancies included those of doctors, and mainly staff nurses. Gurdial Kaur of the Congress, who raised the query, said the reply was “false” as there was no gynaecologist in the hospital. The minister had stated that both the posts of gynaecologist were filled up along with many other medical officers.
132 INDUSTRIAL UNITS CLOSED
Industries minister Madan Mohan Mittal, in reply to another question, said 132 big and small industrial units had so far closed in the state since April 2007, while the state “registered 15,137 micro, small and medium enterprises” during the period.
“The reasons for closure are recession and Centre’s policies such as withdrawal of freight equilisation scheme and special package of incentives to the neighbouring states,” he said.
