PU yet to recover Rs 13.53 crore Post-Matric Scholarship dues

Punjab University (PU) is yet to recover Rs 13.53 crore under the Post-Matric Scholarship (PMS) scheme.

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The revelation was made in an audit report by the Resident Audit Officer and the Local Fund Examiner of UT, Chandigarh. The amount, covering tuition and admission fees, remains pending for the period between 2018 and 2022.

Apart from students, the Punjab Government owes a significant portion of the amount to the university. The government had started the direct benefit transfer (DBT) system, which is sending funds into students’ accounts directly, in 2021.

The audit noted that the scholarship scheme, a vital initiative to support Scheduled Caste (SC) students, has become a point of contention. Although the Punjab Government launched the DBT system for scholarships to ensure streamlined payments directly into students’ accounts, the university claims it has not received Rs 13.53 crore owed to it. This included fees that should have been paid either by students or through government contributions under the scheme.

Between 2018 and 2021, a lack of clarity and coordination led to fees remaining unrecovered across various departments and constituent colleges of the PU. The audit highlighted that Rs 2.49 crore for 2021-2022 alone remains outstanding, with earlier years reflecting similar issues. The failure to deposit these funds has placed a financial strain on the PU, raising concerns over accountability and efficiency in managing such programmes.

The university is also grappling with another critical issue — the absence of detailed records regarding students who received scholarships but failed to deposit the required fees with the PU. It further complicated the university’s efforts to recover the dues.

A circular issued by the PU had mandated that from the 2024-25 session, students enrolled under the PMS scheme would have had to pay course and examination fees upfront, which would be later reimbursed through the DBT system. The decision, made during a Syndicate meeting, had sparked protests, which were led by the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), with students demanding that the Punjab Government releases the pending grant of Rs 20.95 crore since 2013-14. Students had argued that the PU had neglected its responsibility to coordinate with the government, leaving them in financial distress.