1 lakh students not admitted as state fails to release ₹327 cr: SAD

CHANDIGARH : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday said nearly 1 lakh Dalit students were denied admission to colleges in Punjab due to the state government’s failure to release ₹327 crore received from the Centre as scheduled caste scholarship more than three months back.

The situation had become alarming with Dalit students protesting against this injustice across the state, the party said.

In a press release issued here, Adampur MLA and former chief parliamentary secretary Pawan Kumar Tinu said the Dalit students who were admitted to colleges are being forced to pay the fee from their pocket.

He said this was being done despite a circular from the Union social justice and empowerment ministry to the Punjab government asking it to tell all institutions to extend date for depositing fee of all SC students till the scholarship amount is transferred into their accounts.

Holding Punjab welfare of scheduled castes minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot directly responsible for this, the Akali leader said Dharamsot should explain why he had allowed the money meant for SC scholarship to be used for other purposes.

He said in 2017 the Centre had released ₹117 crore to the state for the SC scholarship scheme.

When reached for comments, Dharamsot said the state government has tried to bring the scholarship scheme back on track.

He added ₹400 crore has already been released for the scholarship and another instalment of ₹800 crore will be released soon so that students don’t suffer.

“Action will be taken against those institutes which will be found involved in the scholarship scam during the previous SAD-BJP government,” he said.

The Union social justice ministry has been constantly asking the state government to submit utilisation certificates but the latter is refusing to do this.

PAWAN KUMAR TINU , Adampur MLA & ex-chief parliamentary secy