Sampla asks Punjab govt to submit audit report on SC scholarship scheme

Union Minister Vijay Sampla said today that the Centre will release the next installment of the post matric scholarship scheme for SC students in Punjab after the state government submits its audit report on the implementation of the scheme.

"We have decided to clear the arrears of the scheme of all states by March 31, 2019. Punjab has also been told that whatever their arrears are will be cleared. But after that the next installment of the post matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Caste students will be disbursed once the audit report is submitted to us," Sampla said here today.

Notably, the Punjab government had been conducting an audit of the post matric scholarship scheme. It had claimed to have detected an embezzlement of Rs 400 crore in its implementation in the state and also assured to take strict action against those found guilty.

Sampla said the Centre is ready to release the balance amount after deducting the state liability of Rs 310 crore and Rs 400 crore of "fraud" detected by the state government in its audit.

"Fraud to the tune of Rs 400 crore detected in an audit conducted by the Punjab government, technically is saving for us," he further said.

According to Sampla, the pending amount of the scheme is pegged at Rs 835 crore as far as Punjab is concerned.

"Punjab has been asked to submit its audit report to us," said Sampla.

The Centre had released a sum of Rs 327 crore to Punjab in the month of June under post matric scholarship scheme.

Sampla said that a plan had also been mooted to link accounts of SC students with Aadhaar so as to weed out the chances of any embezzlement of funds.

The minister said his minister had received several complaints pertaining to embezzlement of funds under this scheme from all states.

However, he said it was the state government's responsibility to take action against any unscrupulous educational institution.