Several private colleges in the state have siphoned off crores of
rupees of the government-sponsored post-matric scholarship scheme by
faking identities of 25,000 poor students, a top higher education
department official said.
Investigations conducted this week revealed that in 2012, college managements created 25,000 'fictitious' student identities and bank accounts to appropriate about Rs 3.5 crore scholarship money earmarked for providing education to students from weaker sections. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered, but a departmental probe has so far revealed a sinister operation where colleges are benefitting more than the students from the scheme, observers said.
According to government records, a total of 1.5 lakh SC/ST/OBC and EBC students were eligible for scholarships last year. A joint probe by the social welfare and higher education department has revealed that records of 25,000 out of the total 18 lakh students who were eligible for the scholarship, were fudged . Officials say the number of colleges involved in the scam could be over 50.
The fake students were 'enrolled' in engineering, MBA and MCA courses, and the anomalies came to light only after the government started verifying online registration records after a tip-off, followed by manual inspection and verification. "We are taking a serious relook into the whole sponsorship scheme now," a top official of the higher education department told TOI.
Investigators found that colleges were using identities of real people who were not enrolled for any course to draw the money. "The college managements had even appointed brokers to identify such candidates, who agree for fake enrollments against some payment," the official, who is associated with the probe, said.
In an earlier investigation in 2012, the BC welfare department had found that more than half the amount released under the fee reimbursement scheme last year had gone to college managements, but officials said they did not have enough proof to pin them down. BC welfare department records state that till 2011, a total of 16,000 BC students had availed the scholarship, while in 2012, that number has dipped to 10,111. That was after the government made a three-step verification process mandatory for the scheme.
"The current findings are expected to have an effect on the future of the scheme in the 2013-14 academic year. ," an official said.
Officials said forging of records was rampant even in B Tech and MBA courses. "The special task force which was given the responsibility of conducting inquiries about college managements, will also be asked to look into the matter. We are contemplating criminal cases against errant colleges," said an education department source
Investigations conducted this week revealed that in 2012, college managements created 25,000 'fictitious' student identities and bank accounts to appropriate about Rs 3.5 crore scholarship money earmarked for providing education to students from weaker sections. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered, but a departmental probe has so far revealed a sinister operation where colleges are benefitting more than the students from the scheme, observers said.
According to government records, a total of 1.5 lakh SC/ST/OBC and EBC students were eligible for scholarships last year. A joint probe by the social welfare and higher education department has revealed that records of 25,000 out of the total 18 lakh students who were eligible for the scholarship, were fudged . Officials say the number of colleges involved in the scam could be over 50.
The fake students were 'enrolled' in engineering, MBA and MCA courses, and the anomalies came to light only after the government started verifying online registration records after a tip-off, followed by manual inspection and verification. "We are taking a serious relook into the whole sponsorship scheme now," a top official of the higher education department told TOI.
Investigators found that colleges were using identities of real people who were not enrolled for any course to draw the money. "The college managements had even appointed brokers to identify such candidates, who agree for fake enrollments against some payment," the official, who is associated with the probe, said.
In an earlier investigation in 2012, the BC welfare department had found that more than half the amount released under the fee reimbursement scheme last year had gone to college managements, but officials said they did not have enough proof to pin them down. BC welfare department records state that till 2011, a total of 16,000 BC students had availed the scholarship, while in 2012, that number has dipped to 10,111. That was after the government made a three-step verification process mandatory for the scheme.
"The current findings are expected to have an effect on the future of the scheme in the 2013-14 academic year. ," an official said.
Officials said forging of records was rampant even in B Tech and MBA courses. "The special task force which was given the responsibility of conducting inquiries about college managements, will also be asked to look into the matter. We are contemplating criminal cases against errant colleges," said an education department source
No comments:
Post a Comment