Ministers: Scholarship cut shows Centre anti-Dalit

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 12

Cabinet ministers Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Charanjit Singh Channi and Aruna Chaudhary in a joint statement on Friday said by slashing the post-matric scholarship funds, the Narendra Modi-led Central Government had infringed upon the rights of the Dalits and Backward Classes in the state.

They said with the barbaric measure, the anti-Dalit face of the Modi government had been exposed. The ministers said with the implementation of the new proposal drafted by the BJP-led Union Government regarding the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme, the future of scores of youth belonging to the SC/BC category would be ruined.

The ministers detailed that the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had replaced 90:10 formula pertaining to the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme worked out between the Centre and the state with a new 60:40 formula. It will put further financial strain on the state government’s exchequer on one hand while on the other, the SC/BC youth as well as the school children would be deprived of higher education. Rejecting the new proposal, the Cabinet ministers demanded that the old formula of sharing the funds must be restored.

‘Can jeopardise future of youth’ 

Cabinet ministers Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Charanjit Singh Channi and Aruna Chaudhary in a joint statement said with the implementation of the new proposal drafted by the BJP-led Union Government regarding the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme, the future of scores of youth belonging to the SC/BC category would be ruined.