CHANDIGARH: As the alleged multi-crore post-matric scholarship scheme scam rocked the Punjab assembly on Wednesday, chief minister Amarinder Singh said the opposition was making baseless allegations against cabinet minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, as no irregularity was found in the probe. The chief minister also said there was no truth in the allegations made by the SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia that Dharamsot, who also heads the forest department, had also facilitated sale of the forest land in Noorpur at throwaway prices.
He termed these allegations as ‘shameful and unfortunate’ and said the opposition was hounding his ministers without any basis. “The opposition was unnecessarily targeting the ministers on the basis of media reports which had no substance,” he said, adding that the post-matric scholarship scheme issued had been examined by three principal secretaries, who did not find any irregularity in the distribution of funds.
After the additional chief secretary Kripa Shankar Saroj had indicted social justice and empowerment minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and other department officials for the alleged involvement in Rs 64 crore misappropriation of the post-matric scholarship fund, the chief minister had asked chief secretary Vini Mahajan to inquire into the issue. The chief secretary had then constituted a threemember panel led by principal secretary finance K A P Sinha, which had submitted its report to the chief secretary. On the basis of the panel’s report, the chief secretary had exonerated Dharamsot.