SC scholarship scheme turns money-spinner for pvt colleges

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 30

An ongoing inquiry by the Director, Welfare Department, Punjab, has found large-scale misutilisation of the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC (Scheduled Caste) students.

The scheme, started in 2013-14, proved to be a money-spinner for private colleges, with at least 40 per cent of the admissions being fake.

The inquiry officer is scanning the admission records of 116 polytechnics, 64 ITIs (industrial training institutes) and colleges – all in the private sector.

Sample this: A college which had just six Dalit students enrolled in a course in 2011-12 showed the admission of 30 when the scheme was launched. Some colleges claimed that they had 100 per cent Dalit students on their rolls.

Under the scheme, the Dalit student’s fee is paid to his college by the state government. The students also get maintenance scholarship of Rs 550 to Rs 1,250 per month. Despite these benefits, the dropout rate of Dalit students has been as high as 40-60 per cent, raising many an eyebrow.

The erring colleges made on-paper admissions to make the most of the scheme.

In a fallout of the scam, the colleges have not been paid reimbursement for SC students for 2015-16. About 88 per cent of the reimbursement for 2014-15 has been paid only after verification.

The scam was highlighted by Akali MLA Justice Nirmal Singh (retd) during the Assembly session in March. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had ordered an inquiry by the Director, Welfare Department.

Madan Mohan Mittal, Technical Education Minister, had then told the House that the number of fake admissions was 6,126 and about Rs 18.34 crore had been misappropriated.

Sources said the inquiry had found that most of these colleges were located in Doaba and Malwa. They said the Central and state governments released Rs 367 crore in 2014-15, while the allocation for 2015-16 was Rs 600 crore.

“It’s a pity that no penal action has been taken against the education institutions which have misused the scheme,” said an official in the Welfare Department.

Department Director Diprava Lakra refused to divulge the details of the inquiry. He added that in order to curb fake beneficiaries, the government would issue smart cards to the SC students, which would be linked with their Aadhaar cards.

“This smart card can be used in one college only. This will ensure the student’s presence on the campus. The card will also be linked with his or his parent’s mobile number, facilitating the verification of the beneficiary,” Lakra said.