Chandigarh: AICC general secretary and Lok Sabha MP from Sirsa, Kumari Selja, on Sunday accused the BJP govt of supporting individuals involved in embezzling crores of rupees intended for scholarships for lakhs of students from scheduled castes and backward classes over the past decade.
Selja has demanded a judicial probe under the supervision of a sitting judge of Punjab and Haryana high court, along with an expeditious trial for those found guilty in siphoning off funds through misappropriation in various districts across the state.
Referring to the alleged recent scholarship scam amounting to Rs 96 lakh in Kaithal as “the tip of the iceberg”, Selja claimed that the incidence of similar scams in other districts too cannot be ruled out. From block-level to state-level officers, all are involved in this scam, she alleged.
Attributing her allegations to RTI (Right to Information) inquiry, she said despite being eligible, 9,43,605 SC students and 2,81,649 BC students have not received their scholarships over the past decade. According to the response from the state govt, from Jan 1, 2013, to Nov 30, 2023, a total of 34,37,866 SC students and 11,41,435 BC students were scholarship beneficiaries. Due to the anti-poor policies of the BJP govt and the education department, millions of students have not received scholarships over the past 10 years, she said.
Selja added that it was the Congress govt who had initiated scholarships for SC and BC students studying from Class 1 to Class 12 in govt schools, providing a fixed amount based on their grade level.