The National Scheduled Castes Alliance (NSCA) has sought a CBI inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of funds under the SC post-matric scholarship scheme in the last five years. Also holding the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal “morally responsible”, the NSCA has sought resignation of the State Welfare Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike.
“Rs20 crore SC scholarship scam detected in Punjab involving a large number of technical education institutions appears to be merely the tip of an iceberg,” said NSCA president Paramjit Singh Kainth.
In the last five years, over Rs1,000 crore have been released by the Centre under the SC post-matric scholarship scheme, he claimed, adding that a large number of technical education institutions had made dummy admissions of students to claim the scholarship amount in their names.
“How do we know that the practice of making dummy admissions has not been going on for the last many yearsIJ This should be thoroughly investigated. So many dummy admissions had been made at the cost of genuine SC students. SC and backward classes welfare Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike should be told to resign as he should be held accountable. The Chief Minister too is morally responsible,” said Kainth.
“The institutions named in the SC scholarship scam should be recognized. The bureaucrats in the SC welfare Ministry should be made accountable and Ranike should be asked to resign,” demanded Kainth.
He said that the NSCA, in this connection, would be presenting a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Punjab Governor. Also, the NSCA would next month launch a state-wide agitation, he added.
According to information obtained by the NSCA under the RTI, in 2013-14, the Centre had released under the post-matric scholarship scheme a sum of Rs281.80 crore. In 2014-15 the amount went up to Rs370.87 crore.
“The post-matric scholarship scheme was launched by the Centre in 1998. But it is most unfortunate that 34 elected SC members of the Assembly belonging to Akali Dal, BJP and the Congress did not raise their voice on this serious issue even when the academic future of lakhs of SC students was at stake,” said Kainth.
He said that the SC community comprises more than 35 per cent of the total population. “There is a deep-rooted conspiracy to prevent this community from being educated. The political parties are afraid that education would lead to their empowerment,” said Kainth.