The Punjab Governor has requested a report from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann (Representative image)
In a letter to the prime minister, Governor Banwarilal Purohit has requested a comprehensive report on the matter at the earliest, an official statement said.
After learning of reports of more than 2 lakh Scheduled Caste students being forced to drop out of college due to non-payment of scholarships by the state government to colleges, the Punjab governor has requested a report from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Governor Banwarilal Purohit has requested a comprehensive report on the matter at the earliest, an official statement said on Thursday. The letter reads: “If correct, it would be a very reprehensible violation of the constitutional rights of the Scheduled Caste students and a grave injustice to them.”
The National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC) had previously said that about two lakh students from SC category dropped out of university due to non-payment of dues under a scholarship program worth about Rs 2,000 crore by the government of Punjab . NCSC chairman Vijay Sampla told reporters that the Commission has requested an explanation from the state government as to why the money has not been paid to colleges despite the Center’s payment of dues.
“We have taken note of the matter suo motu. There are many complaints from SC students that they are not admitted to colleges because the government has not paid their tuition fees. There were about three lakh SC students who benefited from the scheme in 2017 and the number dropped to 1-1.25 lakh in 2020. When we asked the state government, they said these kids were quitting,” he had told PTI.
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