Punjab Cabinet Ministers on Friday demanded re-implementation of old formula of the Post-matric scholarship funds, while accusing the BJP-led Central Government of slashing the scholarship funds to ruin future of SC/BC youth.
The state Ministers — Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Charanjit Singh Channi and Aruna Chaudhary — stated that by slashing the Post Matric Scholarship funds, the Narendra Modi led Union Government has infringed upon the rights of the Dalits and Backward Classes of the State of Punjab.
“With the barbaric measure, the anti-dalit face of the Modi Government has been exposed,” said the three Ministers in a joint statement.
They said that with the implementation of the new proposal drafted by the BJP led Union Government regarding the Post-Matric Scholarship, the future of scores of youth belonging to SC/BC category would be ruined.
The Ministers further detailed that the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has replaced the 90:10 ratio formula pertaining to the Post-Matric Scholarship worked out between the Centre and the State, with a new 60:40 ratio formula. “The new formula would put further financial strain on the State Governments’ exchequer on one hand, while on the other, the SC/BC youth as well as the school going children would be deprived of the higher education.
Rejecting out rightly the new proposal, the Cabinet Ministers demanded that the old formula of sharing the funds must be restored. They added that the States were, till 2018, contributing 10 percent share out of the total Rs 600 crore but the Modi Government is running away from contributing its share which has increased the annual burden on the States from Rs 600 crore to Rs 750 crore.
The Cabinet Ministers also stated that the implementation of the newly-proposed formula would lead to reduction in living standard of the SC/BC category youth.
They alleged that the Union Government is proceeding in accordance with the “RSS’s hidden agenda” to keep the Dalits and people belonging to backward classes away from acquiring education to uplift their lives.
“Punjab Government is fully committed to provide all educational facilities and congenial environment for the same to the SC/BC students,” they said while demanding the rollback of the new proposal and the restoration of the old formula.