Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday ordered the release of the pending post-matric scholarships for Dalit students, warning strict action against private institutions if they deny admission due to delayed payment.
The directives came at a meeting that followed the completion of an audit of the scholarship disbursement for 2015-16, an official spokesperson said.
Amarinder asked the finance department to release the pending amount of Rs 100 crore to the private institutions for 2015-16 by October-end. He further directed the release of the 2016-17 amount by the end of next month, an official said.
He asked the welfare department to complete the disbursement of the post-matric scholarships for Scheduled Castes by December 31, to ensure timely payment of the Centre's share towards the scheme, the official said.
The chief minister asked Social Welfare Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot to hold a meeting with the representatives of private institutions, asking them not to cause inconvenience to any students due to the delayed payment of scholarships, as the state government was streamlining the disbursements.
He asked the welfare principal secretary to immediately review the Centre's revised guidelines on the post-matric scholarship, which would eventually burden the state with an additional Rs 720 crore.
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Amarinder said he had already raised this issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would again request him to resolve it, keeping in view the state's dismal financial position, and for securing the future of Dalit students in particular.
Regarding the issue of making payment of scholarships in case of drop-out Dalit students, the chief minister asked the welfare department to follow the already-prescribed guidelines of the Union government.
The scholarship is being implemented with the objective to provide financial assistance to Dalit students studying at post-matriculation and post-secondary stages.