Badal writes to Centre over release of SC scholarship funds

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought Centre's intervention for expediting the release of backlog amount of Rs 245.08 crore under 'Post Matric Scholarship to SC Students' scheme.
In a letter to Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot, the Chief Minister apprised him that under the Central scheme, 100 per cent funds were provided by the Government of India over and above the committed liability of the state which is Rs 60.80 crore.
He said that utilization certificate of the Rs 376.87 crore released by the Centre along with the utilization certificate of the state's committed liability of Rs 60.80 crore during 2014-15 had already been sent to the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry in February this year.

However, a revised proposal for balance allocation of Rs 245.08 crore was sent to the Centre on February 6, Badal said.
The Chief Minister further said that the state government had again sent a proposal of Rs 835.33 crore which also included Rs 245.08 crore for 2014-15 and Rs 527.68 crore for 2015-16, requesting the ministry for its prompt release.
He informed the Union Social Justice & Empowerment Minister that since the matter was pending with the Centre, institutes and students were demanding fees and maintenance allowance of 2014-15.

Due to non-release of Central assistance, various institutions have filed civil writ petitions in Punjab and Haryana High Court for payment of scholarships, the letter stated.

"The number of court cases are likely to increase if the pending payments are not released immediately by the Union Government for onward payment to these institutes/colleges," Badal said.
Making a strong plea for immediate release of backlog as well as the current year amount under the scheme, Badal said it has been noticed that the allocation was much less than compared to other states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.