Scholarship scam: CBI questions SBI officials

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 27

The CBI probing the Rs-250 crore scholarship scam is now zeroing in on bank officials suspected to be involved in it. The CBI questioned two officers of the State Bank of India (SBI), Chamba, in connection with a private institution of Nawanshahr, Punjab, yesterday and will question some officers of the zonal office in Chandigarh.

The probe found that some private institutions in Una and Nawanshahr changed the “caste” of students to grab the scholarship money as the amount for SC and ST students was Rs 50,000 and Rs 98,000.

The amount was also drawn in the name of the students who had left the institution and even day-scholars were shown as hostellers, the probe pointed out.

The CBI had named six persons, including some officials of the Education Department, private educational institutions and bank officials, in the chargesheet likely to be filed the next week, sources in the CBI said.

As many as 22 educational institutions are under scanner in the Rs-250 crore scholarship scam and the CBI will file separate chargesheet against every institution. Some arrests are likely to be made before the chargesheet is filed. The probe has been completed in respect of an institution in Una and other in Nawanshaher.

The CBI has not made any arrest and even the key operator, who manipulated the software and connived with erring institutions, was questioned. The CBI probe has stopped the process of releasing scholarship money but now the amount would be released soon.

The stoppage of scholarship has also hit the enrolment in private institutions as large number of SC/ST and OBC students could not get admission due to paucity of money.