Post-matric scholarship scam: Punjab HC asks Central government to file an affidavit

Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday ordered the Central government to file an affidavit in the case of Rs 63.91 crore scam under the Central Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme. Punjab cabinet minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot is accused of being involved in the post-matric scholarship scam.

 Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary (Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities) Kripa Shankar Saroj submitted his inquiry report to Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan. The report held his department’s minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Congress MLA B S Dhaliwal responsible for a scam of Rs 63.91crore in the Post-Matric SC Scholarship scheme of the Centre.

 Referring to the irregularities committed by the minister, Mahajan decided to take immediate action in this matter, as it is related to the funds received from the central government. Criminal cases were registered.

 In his report submitted on 21 August, Saroj stated, “Under the PMS-SC scheme the GOI sent Rs 303 crore to Punjab during FebruaryMarch 2019. Through the Directorate of Social Justice withdrew Rs 248 crore from the treasury, however, the department had then distributed this sum in an arbitrary manner. Significantly, records pertaining to Rs 39 crore are missing. Either this sum has been embezzled or paid to some ghost institutions.” 

Further, he stated: “Interestingly, an amount of Rs 16.91 crore was paid to such institutions against which the audit team had recommended a recovery of Rs 8 crore, thus costing the state exchequer Rs 24.91 crore. If the amount of recoveries which the audit team had concluded are added to this Rs 16.91 crore, then these officials had cost the exchequer to the tune of Rs 24.91 crore. The minister and his team of officers worked in tandem.” Payments were made to even those institutions which had been found out as defaulters by the FD audit team.

 At Muktsar, an amount was released to an educational institution which was stopped by the court for not issuing any grant. 

It is said that the approval for fund distribution to private educational institutions was being given by Minister Sadhu Singh or Deputy Director of Finance Parminder Singh Gill. It was revealed that the private institutions from which the industries were to collect Rs 8 crore were re-audited and Rs 16.91 crore was released to them.