Shimla – The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has stopped the scholarship of 14,301 students of Himachal Pradesh who have not linked their Aadhaar number with their bank account. The Pre and Post Matric Scholarship Scheme budget for the academic year 2022-23 has not been released to the state government, and the ministry has instructed that all rules be followed before the budget is granted for the academic session 2023-24.
The Directorate of Higher Education has issued a letter to all district deputy directors, private and government school-college principals, vice-chancellors and registrars of universities, directing them to educate students about the importance of linking bank accounts with Aadhaar numbers. Dr. Harish Kumar, Joint Director of the Directorate of Higher Education, has made it mandatory to give scholarship amounts to students through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
During the academic session 2022-23, the state government verified 19,813 applications for the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme and 23,450 applications for the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme. The scholarship amount was issued to 11,920 students in the Pre Matric Scheme and 17,042 in the Post Matric Scheme. However, the scholarship amount has been withheld from 7,893 students in the Pre Matric Scheme and 6,408 students in the Post Matric Scheme who did not link their Aadhaar card number with their bank accounts.
To obtain the withheld scholarship, students must rectify their bank accounts soon. The central government has also given students a final opportunity to receive the scholarship. In-charge officials of all schools, colleges, and universities overseeing scholarship work have been instructed to personally educate students on the importance of linking bank accounts with Aadhaar numbers. Teachers will supervise the rectification of bank accounts.
The scholarship amounts to significant financial aid for students in the state, and it is essential for students to follow the necessary rules and link their Aadhaar numbers with their bank accounts to avoid missing out on the scholarship.
