Punjab adopts new post-matric scholarship plan, but with rider

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 24

Punjab has decided to adopt Centre’s revised Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) students announced in December last year, but has sought its implementation from retrospective effect.

It wants the scheme to be implemented from 2017-18, instead of 2020-21. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has also written to the Centre in this regard. Around Rs 1,200 crore is pending with the Centre under the centrally sponsored scheme for three years, as it had discontinued the previous scholarship scheme in 2017.

Since SC scholarship scheme has the potential to snowball into a major political issue for Dalit vote bank in the state, the state government does not want to take the risk and has asked the Centre to pay 60 per cent of the scheme for the three years (2017-18 to 2019-20) as it was ready to release 40 per cent of its share.

The issue was raised by private educational institutions during a recently held meeting of the high empowered cabinet sub-committee. Applications have been invited under the state scheme. The state would pay 60 per cent of the scholarship amount for the past three years, while the remaining would be contributed by the respective college. Centre’s new scholarship scheme with a revised funding pattern will remain in force till 2025-26.

Rs 1,200 cr pending

Around Rs1,200 crore is pending with the Centre under the centrally sponsored scheme for three years, as the state had discontinued the previous scholarship scheme in 2017