New Delhi:In another development in the alleged Post-Matric Scholarship scam of Punjab, a joint delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal met Union Minister for Social justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot on Tuesday.
In the multi-crore scholarship scam, name of Punjab cabinet minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot has surfaced and the delegation has requested Union Minister to investigate the matter.
An investigation into Punjab’s post-matric scholarship scheme scam by state govt has held that the state’s social justice, empowerment and minorities minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and his team of officers worked in tandem and caused a loss of crores to the Government.
The Union government had in February and March 2019 sent a total amount of Rs 303 crore to the Punjab government under the post-matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Castes and the state directorate of social justice withdrew Rs 248 crore from the treasury and this amount was distributed in an arbitrary manner.
Talking to media after meeting, Gulzar Singh Ranike said," Additional Chief Secy of Punjab has submitted a report to Chief Secretary and it has details of the scholarship scam. From the last 3 years, students are not getting scholarships sent by the Union Government for their welfare. we have requested Union Minister to look into the matter and he has ensured us for unbiased investigation"
MoS Industry and Commerce Som Parkash(BJP), and from Shiromani Akali Dal Former Cabinet minister of Punjab Gulzar Singh Ranike, Former Cabinet minister Sohan Singh Thandal, MLA Pawan Tinu, MLA Baldev Khaira and MLA Sukhwinder Kumar were part of the delegation.
Also, an amount of Rs 16.91 crore was paid to such institutions against which the audit teams had recommended recovery of Rs 8 crore.
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The 33-page inquiry report is submitted by Kripa Shankar Saroj, additional chief secretary of Dharamsot’s own department, to Punjab’s Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan.
Earlier MoS industry and Commerce Som Parkash wrote a letter to Union minister Thawar Chand Gahlot and on Monday he claimed that departmental enquiry had been ordered by Social Justice Ministry of Government of India on his complaint. Som Prakash was quoted saying late on Monday evening that he had drawn the attention of Social Justice minister to allegedly scam.
Later Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh took strong exception to the enquiry being ordered into alleged scholarship without consulting the State government or waiting for the report of Chief Secretary's investigation into the matter. Captain Amrinder Singh called it as another attack on the federal structure of Indian constitutional polity claiming that the move was clearly aimed at eroding the State Government authority as a part of BJP-led Central government's agenda to undermine the governments in all non-BJP ruled States. He also said that his government will not succumb to such petty and motivated pressures by BJP or any of its partners including Shiromani Akali Dal.
