Shimla: CBI investigation has revealed that around 1000 fake students had received Post Matric Scholarship meant for SC and SC students by one Institute in Himachal Pradesh.
In its investigation into the Rs 250 crore scam in the state, agency found that the lists of students submitted by the KC Group of Institutions, Una, were fake and there were no real beneficiaries from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe.
A leading English daily has reported that the fact came to the light after agency verified the students claimed by the institute were found non-existence in the ground. Numbers of fake students are over 1000 and further agency found that the institution had engulfed scholarship money amounting to Rs 20-25 crore by showing fake students between 2012 and 2017.
The same students were shown in Pandoga in Una as well as Nawanshahr in Punjab, CBI probe further found.
As per the norms, institute or University concerned, approved the claimant after verifying all documents submitted with the institution and furnish the detail of students and submit an affidavit in the Scholarship department of the Higher Education. Thereafter, department verify the students and release the scholarship amount in students personal bank account.
However, in this scholarship scam, nexus between private institutions and some education department officials have came to fore and it’s expected that many more revealing facts will come to fore as probe progressed further. Meanwhile, The CBI has filed a chargesheet against 12 persons, including six Education Department officials and five functionaries of the KC Group.
Anomalies in State and Centrally funded Post Matric schemes for SC/ST students were came to light after reports revealed that students of government schools in the Lahaul and Spiti district had not been paid scholarship.
Taking a serious view of the complaints, the state government had directed the Director of Higher Education for through probe in the matter. And later entrusted premier investigation agency to probe the matter. It’s learned that crores of rupees were involved in the mega scam and genuine students were not given scholarships and the funds were allegedly transferred to accounts of ineligible candidates and fictitious accounts were opened outside the state for transfer of scholarships.
