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| Kashmiri students lacked requisite documents, not denied admissions: HRD Ministry | | Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Aug 6: Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has rebuffed allegations of Kashmiri students being denied scholarship for continuing education after having been granted admission in various colleges across the country under centrally sponsored Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme (PMSS).
Ministry has instead laid the entire blame on the students for not having submitted the requisite documents. In the 11th meeting of BJP-led inter-Ministerial committee on special scholarship scheme for Jammu and Kashmir held on June 25, 2014; Secretary in the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry Ashok Thakur clarified that scholarship could not be disbursed to around 966 students due to non-submission of receipts and affidavit by these students as well as institutes where they have been admitted.
He said that for the Academic Year 2013-2014, a total of 3747 students were approved for scholarship and the same has been disbursed to 2781 students amounting to Rs. 34.35 crore. Reiterating that it was non-submission of documents because of which scholarship was not disbursed and not what is being made out in the media, diversion in the policy of new Government at Centre, Thakur said that those students who have been left out have themselves to blame.
However, Thakur said that due to various representations received from the students, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) held a program of re-verification of documents on May 26 to 28, 2014. He added that during re-verification exercise, 2584 additional students (276-General stream, 144-Medicine and 2164 -Engineering stream) were found eligible for scholarship for academic year 2013-2014.
He explained that some of these students could not make themselves available for physical verification earlier or were unable to submit complete documents during document verification exercise. He further stated that the financial limits for award of 5000 scholarships in an academic year is approximately Rs. 75 crore. Thakur said that out of this expenditure incurred and anticipated in respect of the students already approved for scholarship for academic year 2013-2014 is Rs. 56.23 Crore.
Thakur said that there would be a savings of Rs. 18.86 crore. Therefore, out of 2584 candidates, only 276 students belonging to general stream, 144 to medicine stream and 418 to engineering stream (838 students) can be accommodated from available funds Rs. 18.76 Crore (calculated on the basis of maximum limits of scholarship amount for academic year 2013 - 2014 ). It was also indicated by him that out of these 838 students, physical verification is needed to be carried out in respect of 65 candidates before taking a final decision about their eligibility.
He said that scholarships to these students may be awarded as it is within the physical and financial ceiling stipulated in the scheme. Thakur clarified that the net additional outflow for these additional students will be Rs. 18.76 Cr. After much deliberation, Thakur said that these 838 students may be considered for award of scholarship provided the AICTE confirms their eligibility.
Therefore, it was decided AICTE should first carry out the physical and document verification in respect of the 65 students, whose physical verification is yet to be undertaken and then come up with a complete list of students who ' are finally found eligible for award of scholarship before the next counselling for approval.
HRD Ministry which is headed by Samriti Irani said that centralized counselling for the academic year 2014-15 for all eligible registered students would be carried out by AICTE in close coordination with the Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir Government, preferably in Srinagar. |
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