Minorities panel seeks report from Himachal govt
SHIMLA: Ten days after Himachal Pradesh government ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe to unravel a multicrore scholarship disbursal scam, the National Commission for Schedule caste and Scheduled tribes has sought a detailed report on it.
More than 2,38,089 eligible students hailing from scheduled tribe and schedule caste category were deprived of scholarships under various schemes in the state. Scholarships amounting to Rs 226 crore were disbursed through fake admissions and the money was deposited in different bank accounts both within and outside the state.
During the probe, theeducation department uncovered that the institutions had created fake bank accounts in Haryana, Chandigarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
“The National Commission for Scheduled caste and National Commission for scheduled tribe has sought a detailed report from the state government “education minister Suresh Bhardwaj said.
The government has also sought assistance from the other states.
Embezzlement in the scholarships through fake admissions in private educational institutions came to light in May this year after students from the tribal Lahaul and Spiti district complained that they had been deprived of scholarships in spite of merit. Tribal development affairs minister Ram Lal Markandey and social justice minister Rajiv Sezal had also raised issue with the government.
The state cabinet in a meeting had recommended a CBI probe.
Under different centrally sponsored scholarship schemes, the state’s education department deposits its share of scholarship in advance, after which a utilisation certificate is sent to the Centre. The government had created a web portal in 2014 to claim the scholarship online.
The scam is also casting aspersions on functioning of the state’s education department.
It had come to light that the education department official released utilisation certificates to scores of students without verifying their accounts.
More over the department also did not pay heed to the report of CAG objection in 2016.
The CAG had pointed towards payment of Rs 8 crore released to institutions that were not recognised by the UGC.
The education department officials had replied that it was not mandatory to disburse scholarships only to students admitted in UGC recognised institutions.
An internal probe conducted by the department has brought to fore some startling facts, including, that nearly 2,38,089 students studying in 2,772 institutions had availed scholarship benefits under the scheme.
During the probe it was revealed that around 3,000 same digit mobile numbers were used while submitting the online registration forms. In 181 cases same bank account was used to deposit money.