Selja claims scam in scholarships for SC/BC, wants High Court to investigate

The Congress general secretary and Sirsa MP, Kumari Selja, has claimed that a scam amounting to hundreds of crores has taken place in scholarships for children from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Backward Class families in the state. In some districts, there has been ‘collusion’ leading to the misappropriation of funds, while in others, students who are eligible have been waiting for scholarships for 10 years, she added.

Demanding an investigation by a Judge of the high court into the matter, she claimed that the scholarship scandal had occurred during the BJP government's tenure since 2014.

In a statement released here today, Selja said the recent case in Kaithal, where a scholarship scam amounting to Rs 96 lakh came to light, was just a sample. Reports of such scams are emerging from all districts in the state, and a state-level investigation into these scams is essential, she added.

“The funds embezzled in these scams, ongoing for 10 years, may surpass hundreds of crores. Reports also suggest the involvement of officials within the state government in the scholarship scam, making it impossible to trust any state agency to conduct an impartial investigation,” she added.

The former Union Minister said while officials in the government were engaged in robbing the rights of SC and Backward Classes students, millions of eligible students have been deprived of scholarships in the past 10 years.

“An RTI inquiry revealed that despite being eligible, 9,43,605 Scheduled Caste students and 2,81,649 Backward Class students have not received scholarships over the past decade. According to the response from the state government, from January 1, 2013, to November 30, 2023, a total of 34,37,866 Scheduled Caste students and 11,41,435 Backward Class students were scholarship beneficiaries. Due to the anti-poor policies of the BJP government and the Education Department, millions of students have not received scholarships over the past 10 years,” she asserted.

Selja said that the Congress government initiated scholarships for Scheduled and Backward Class students studying in Classes I to XII in government schools, providing a fixed amount based on their grade level.

“The then Congress government led by Dr Manmohan Singh also made provisions for funds for school uniforms. The lack of scholarships despite eligibility has shocked millions of parents. The BJP's claim to be the benefactor of Scheduled, Backward and poor families has been exposed,” she added.