List of students prepared by Una institution was fake: CBI

Scholarship Scam: KC Group of Institutions at Pandoga had taken Rs 25 cr between 2012-17

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 16

Startling facts have surfaced in the Rs 250-crore scholarship scam following the physical verification of students by the CBI.

CBI investigations revealed that the list prepared by the KC Group of Institutions, Pandoga, Una, was fake. CBI teams, which visited Bharmour, Pangi, Chamba, parts of Kangra, Banjar and Manali, found that about 800 to 1,000 students, on the list, actually did not exist. The institution had taken the scholarship money amounting to Rs 20-25 crore between 2012 and 2017.

Moreover, the students were shown in Pandoga in Una as well as Nawanshahr in Punjab. The lists were passed by the Education Department without verification and the scholarship money was released. Though it was the duty of the institution to give correct details, the apparent nexus between private institutions and some officials of the department put the lid on the scam, sources said.

The CBI had registered a case under Sections 409, 419, 465, 466 and 471 of the IPC here on May 8, 2019, and filed a charge-sheet against 12 persons — six officials of the Directorate of Higher Education, five key functionaries of the KC Group of Institutions and the head cashier of the Central Bank of India, Nawanshahr (Punjab) — on March 30.

Moreover, 272 private educational institutions are under the scanner as scholarship of 32,000 students was not credited to their accounts. About 80 per cent scholarship money was paid to private institutions, which opened fake accounts. The misuse of Aadhar cards has also come to notice.

The scam was unearthed following reports that the students of government schools in the tribal Spiti valley had not been paid scholarships for the past five years.