Govt orders Vigilance probe into post-matric scholarship rip-off
Chandigarh, February 17
The state authorities might be handing over the case of post-matric scholarship scheme to the Vigilance Bureau for additional investigation.
This was acknowledged by Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema and Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Minister Dr Baljit Kaur right here in the present day.
They stated departmental motion had already been taken within the multi-crore rip-off, with the dismissal of errant workers. The Tribune had reported, in its information columns, in the present day about these six accused workers within the rip-off being dismissed from the service.
Personal institutes benefited
The departmental investigation revealed that disbursal of scholarship to eligible SC college students was ignored and undue advantages got to sure non-public institutes. —Dr Baljit Kaur, Social justice, Empowerment & Minorities Minister
When requested if the function of former Social Justice Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot had been investigated within the departmental inquiry, the duo stated additional inquiry had been beneficial to the VB for a radical probe into the rip-off.
Dr Baljit stated the rip-off befell in 2019, in the course of the Congress-led state authorities, and discrepancies amounting to Rs 55 crore have been detected, of which over Rs 16 crore entry fee was allotted to some faculties. As a substitute of taking motion towards these erring institutes, advantages working into crores have been prolonged to them once more.
She stated the probe discovered that there was no proof of
Rs 39 crore, which was disbursed to some “ghost” faculties, and the then CM Captain Amarinder Singh gave a clear shit to Dharamsot.
The minister stated the departmental investigation revealed that disbursal of scholarship to eligible SC college students was ignored and undue advantages got to sure non-public institutes.
The Cupboard Minister stated the earlier authorities had ordered an audit to unearth the rip-off, nonetheless, slightly than amassing the deceitfully-given funds to “ghost” faculties, the Congress authorities re-ordered the audit and gave extra funds to those faculties.
Coaching weapons at Congress, Cheema stated their leaders held protests within the Vidhan Sabha and have been vocal on probing the wrongdoings within the disbursal of the scholarship throughout SAD authorities however when it fashioned the federal government, Congress didn’t take any motion towards anybody, which clearly signifies that SAD and Congress have been hand in glove. He stated the variety of college students making use of for the scheme drastically diminished to 1.95 lakh in 2021-22 in comparison with the previous years as a result of non-disbursal of funds to eligible college students. This time, the variety of SC college students making use of this fellowship is anticipated to cross three-lakh mark.