Mir Farhat
SRINAGAR, Oct 4: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the Crime Branch is inquiring into the role of NGOs’ which have cheated the students of the State in Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme for their own benefits.
“Since the State Government has no role in implementation of the scheme, NGOs’ sneaked into it and exploited those students for their own benefit. Unfortunately, some established NGOs’ which organise huge functions by inviting VIPs and VVIPs are also involved. We have referred the allegations against the NGOs’ to Crime Branch which is inquiring into these allegations. We will take action against those NGOs’ found involved in cheating the students,” he said
Omar was replying to questions asked by Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, Ravinder Kumar Sharma and other supplementary questions of other members during the Question Hour in the Legislative Council on misuse of the scheme.
The Chief Minister said few colleges were also running only on PMSSS scheme and thus they admitted 40-50 students hoping to get paid from Government of India, but the Government declined to pay them for all the students because as per the scheme only five students in each college would be paid by the GoI.
“After the complaints received from the students that the colleges are cancelling their admissions as the Government is not paying them, I took up the issue with the Prime Minister to grant one time exception to the students who been admitted in various institutions through NGOs’ and do not qualify for the scholarship so that their educational career is not affected,” Omar said.
He also said that he sought from PM to formally involve the State Government through Higher Education Department in implementing the scheme to ensure it was granted to students without any cheating.
“We also appeal the students to seek admission directly in the colleges instead of going through NGOs. They should also verify if the college has exceeded the cap of five admissions per college for the students of the State,” the Chief Minister said.
Omar rebutted Minister for Higher Education Akbar Lone who earlier informed the House that State Government had no role in implementing the scheme as it is exclusively implemented by Human Resource Development.
“It (Akbar Lone’s statement) is not correct, but we cannot absolve the responsibility,” Omar retorted to Lone.
As per the PMSSS scheme, students were to pay Rs 25,000 each and the college would provide the tuition fees, boarding and lodging fees to the students who enrolled themselves in various professional and technical colleges, recognised by the Government of India. In addition to this, books too would be provided for at the cost of the Government.
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