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| `Kashmiri students are treated as beggars' | | | SRINAGAR, June 19: The much controversial Prime Minister's Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) for J&K students is in vogue for the last couple of years and by now thousands of students from the state have been covered under it. From the session 2013-14 Secretary Higher Education J&K Government has been inducted as an invitee member in Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) of Government of India. For the present academic session (2014-15) the Higher Education Department of J&K Government has been designated as the nodal agency by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). On principle it seems to be good and positive sign but on the ground it appears that J&K Government has not been able to address the real issues involved in the scheme before the union Government with the result this scheme is becoming anti people. During the session 2013-14 IMC decided that scholarship will be given to only five students in a college irrespective of number of students admitted therein . This spread a panic and poor students in large numbers vacated the colleges and virtually lost one year. The other students beyond five resisted and approached the State High Court which stayed the avoidance of the bunching clause and union Government had no option but to concede. However, IMC again decided to shift the students beyond first five to other colleges and obtained undertakings from the students. A bunch of petitions is pending disposal in the High Court and in one petition shifting of students has also been stayed. In 2014 -15 the guidelines have again been revised and only two students in one college will be provided the facility of the scholarship. Surprisingly , the basic texture of the scheme approved by the PMO way back in 2010 on the basis of C Rangarajan Committee report has totally been defaced and the new guidelines squarely run counter to the basic object of the scheme i.e. , to protect the youth of the state from overt and covert acts. Moreover the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has not at all acted fairly so much as the scholarship money has not been disbursed to various colleges and AICTE as per reliable sources has kept it on hold as some officials at the AICTE have been demanding commission from the colleges in the same way these colleges pay commissions to educational consultancies etc. Some students who are in touch with Early Times say that during visits to AICTE office at New Delhi, the students from J&K are treated as beggars. All these matters where expected to be taken care of by the J&K Government especially the Higher Education Secretary as IMC invitee member, however to the dismay of everyone no perceptible change is visible on ground. In the valley itself or even at Jammu unscrupulous elements have opened their outlets alluring the students in the name of scholarship scheme and the state Government is a silent spectator.
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