Many scholarship claimants bogus, rein them in: Akbaruddin Owaisi

done: arun
Hyderabad: AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi on Monday suggested that the govt introduce a rule requiring all students who avail themselves of the overseas scholarship to repay the amount over a period of 10-20 years. He also mentioned in the assembly that students who were ineligible for various scholarships were obtaining them by producing certificates indicating they fall under the low income bracket.
Akbaruddin said he conducted a survey which revealed that those who availed themselves of such scholarships were, in fact, wealthy with parents owning bungalows, cars, and two-wheelers. "The income certificate should be given only after proper verification is done by officials," he said.
"By declaring themselves as poor, they are depriving genuinely economically disadvantaged people of benefiting from the scholarship schemes of the govt," he added.
BJP MLA Paidi Rakesh Reddy agreed with Akbaruddin. "This has to be corrected. Only those eligible for the scholarships and schemes should avail themselves of the benefits and not others," he said. He suggested an all-party meeting be called, as proposed by Akbaruddin, to address the issue.
The AIMIM MLA also highlighted that the fee reimbursement and stipends for MBBS and medical post-graduate students amounted to a significant sum. "If in the first year, they avail themselves of the fee reimbursement and also get the stipend, in the next year, they cannot be eligible for the benefits as they no longer fall under the low income bracket," he said.
He said that in the UK, a student can avail themselves of loans for education and repay them when they secure a job. In Karnataka, students can receive a stipend or fee reimbursement, with the stipend being contingent on the students' attendance, he noted.