Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC Students

 

Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC Students

These days Punjab Government is in the news for two wrong reasons – faulty utilization of amounts sent by the central government for post matric scholarships scheme and denial of reservation in recruitment of law officers. It is just a coincident that Punjab Government and National Commission for Schedule Caste are

engaged or involved with each other in both the cases – NCSC, a statutory authority who is mandated and expected to be the watch dog of the rights of SCs headed by a Punjabi himself, Vijay Sampla and Punjab Government of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which boasts of the flag bearer of the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar with huge mandate of SC communities having 29 MLAs out of 34 reserved seats in the Assembly. It might seem paradoxical but the problem is real which requires immediate attention and solution.

First the scholarship issue; Post Matric Scholarship scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme by the Central Government and it is implemented through State Governments and UT Administrations. The Scheme provides financial assistance to the Scheduled Caste students studying at post matriculation or post-secondary stage to enable them to complete their education. The amount of scholarship is 2,50,000/- per annum. Income certificate of the parents/guardian of the beneficiary student is required to be taken once only i.e. at the time of admission to courses which are continuing for more than one year. The income certificate shall be issued by the Authority as decided by the State Government.

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of the Government of India has explained the Objectives and Scope of the Post Matric Scholarship for the beneit of SC Students:-

Objective
1.1 The objective of the scheme is to appreciably increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio of SC students in higher education with a focus on those from the poorest households, by providing financial assistance at post-matriculation or post-secondary stage to enable them to complete their education.
Scope
2.1 These scholarships are available for studies in India only and the awardees are selected by the State Government/Union Territory to which the applicant actually belongs (i.e. the State/UT in which permanently settled or domiciled, as per the terms of domicile decided by the State).
2.2 This is applicable to all the students who are currently beneficiaries of the scheme as well as fresh admissions.

The Punjab problem - The scholarship scheme in Punjab has been marred by poor implementation and the delay in the release of the scholarship amount had become a major political issue in the last assembly elections in February, 2022. Now the new AAP Government was expected to set the matter in order but failed. NCSC has taken up the matter with Punjab Government.
The matter came up for discussion in the last session of the Punjab Assembly and the Times of India reported on June 29, 2022, “The disbursal of post-matric scholarship for SC students amounting to Rs 1,563.77 crore is pending for three years — 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 — due to the central government withholding its share for want of

utilization certificates and failure on part of Punjab government to get the scheme audited.”The opposition MLAs raised the subject in the Assembly. The Governments, obviously, seems to on back foot on the issue. Chairman of NCSC, Vijay Sampla, speaking to the media informed that NCSC had taken a suo-motu cognizance of the issue on getting complaints from students on non-payment of scholarships. He added that because these difficulties more than 2 lakh SC students were forced to drop out during the period 2017-2020. Though the Central Government had given the money, an amount of 2000 crores, to Punjab Government yet the money was not paid to the colleges. Hon’ble Governor of Punjab, Banwari Lal Purohit has also written to CM Bhagwant Mann on the issue and has asked for a report. Responding to the matter, CM Bhagwant Mann clarified and informed that he had ordered a comprehensive probe into the alleged irregularities in the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme that surfaced in the previous Congress government. The matter rests at that.

I have no information as to what is the situation of Post Matric Scholarship Scheme in other States, particularly the BJP ruled States. But it is evident that it is bad as far as Punjab is concerned. Without going into the political motivations and considerations, the crux of

the matter is that SC students and the poor parents are the direct sufferers of this slugfest between the governments and also the students and the colleges. The very objectives of the Scheme are defeated. Some of anti-reservation elements in the society who generally shout from the roof-tops should speak out and get the scholarships to the SC students as they always tend to give the argument for education and not reservations to SCs. Why are they blissfully silent now?

SC students should not suffer that should be our approach. Some years before in 2016, I gave a solution to the problem in my open letter as an Aam Aadmi dated November 28, 2016 for consideration of the AAP leadership.  I quote from the Non-paper which I submitted in this regard, “The governments, both central and of state, should open an “ESCROW Account” in one of the public sector banks. On getting the requisite information and data from the schools and colleges, routed through the competent Education Department authorities of the state government, should transfer, twice in a year, the due and requisite amounts in the ESCROW Account maintained for the purpose along with documentation pertaining to the scholarship. The school and colleges will claim and get the due amounts from the concerned

At a school in Jalandhar

bank. It should be done in a time bound manner failing which the schools and colleges will be entitled to claim an interest of 10% on the amounts due. It will end the blame game. The poor students will be saved from harassment and highhandedness by the educational institutions.” The problem remains. Subsequently, some months ago speaking at a meeting arranged by one of the BJP/RSS affiliated outfits in Chandigarh on the issue of Post Matric Scholarships to SC Students, in the presence of BJP leaders Avinash Chander, Rajesh Bagha and social activists like Varinder Garg and Paramjit Kainth, I reiterated the suggestion on ESCROW Account as it would save the interests of the SC students on hand and those of the educational institutes on the other. What is an Escrow Account? - An escrow is a contractual arrangement in which a third party receives and disburses money or property for the primary transacting parties,

At Sant Baba Bhag Singh University

with the disbursement dependent on conditions agreed to by the transacting parties. I know full well that SC students are not interested in politics involved in the issue but in their education pursuits as stipulated in the Scope of the Scheme. Let us hope the concerned authorities sit and find out a real and effective way out rather than hankering after ‘brownie point’.

The second point, denial of reservation in the appointment of law officers by the Government of Punjab, also involves NCSC. NCSC advised Punjab Government to provide reservations as per the existing rules and arrangements. In its own wisdom, said to be on the
advice of Advocate General Anmol Rattan Sidhu, decided to challenge the decision and direction of NCSC in this regard in the High Court. Whether there should be reservation for SCs or no depends on decisions and matching legislation?  Let us leave it at that. But the basic question of constitutional and political morality of both the Punjab Government and its Advocate General remains not only to uphold the constitutional arrangements but also personal honesty and integrity. Both the Government and the Advocate General have miserably failed on this account. The AAP Government claims to be the flag bearers of Babasaheb Ambedkar and benefactors of SCs with 35 % share in the Punjab demography. They should have sorted out the matter with NCSC and other authorities but their decision to take the matter to the court on the ground that reservation cannot be given to maintain the so called ‘efficiency and merit’. It is a shameful argument bereft of any constitutional and

With Chief Justice of India

social norms. SCs can become judges of the Supreme Court, High Court and senior positions in lower courts without reservation but they cannot be appointed as the Law Officers of a State. Obviously, dalits are upset and are up-in-arms. Better sense prevailed and Punjab Government decided to take back its appeal in the court. Advocate General Anmol Rattan Sidhu should have been sacked unceremoniously but to save face he has been shown the door. He has resigned because of so called ‘personal reasons’. Frankly, Anmol Rattan Sidhu should be booked under the relevant provisions including Act on atrocities against SCs as the uncalled for and irrelevant thinking of ‘efficiency and merit’ was willful to hurt the interests and sentiments of SCs and was clearly ultra vires to the letter and spirit of the constitution. Punjab Government should have been careful in dealing with sensitive matters. They may ignore this caution at their own peril. Reservation to SCs is no charity but a solemn pledge to raise the social standards of dalits as an ‘affirmative action’ stipulated in the Constitution of India.