Punjab to pay 40% arrears of private institutions under SC post-matric scholarship scheme

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Friday decided to pay 40 per cent of the Rs 200 crore arrears of private educational institutions against the post-matric scholarship scheme for SC students, for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20.

The cabinet, which held a virtual meeting chaired by chief minister Amarinder Singh, decided that the CM will take up the issue of the balance 60 percent pending arrears with the Prime Minister, an official statement said.

It further said that the cabinet, while approving the report submitted by the Group of Ministers (GoM), decided that the government will give these arrears to private institutions in three equal quarterly installments during the year 2021-22.

The GoM, comprising Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Social Justice, Empowerment & Minorities Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Higher Education Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, and Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, was constituted on January 14, 2021, to look into the difficulties faced in the implementation of the scheme.

Post-matric scholarship

The statement said the scheme is being implemented through Central assistance but no funds have been released against the demand for the years 2017-18 to 2019-20.

Keeping in view the hardships faced by Schedule Caste students, the GoM was constituted to examine and resolve this issue to secure the future of these students, it said.

The GoM had also recommended that private educational institutions would not retain the roll numbers, certificates and degrees of SC students would make no claims nor approach court against the Punjab government for claiming pending fees for the sessions from 2017-18 to 2019-2020.

Further, they will withdraw cases pending in court in this matter, the Group had suggested. The report also stated that if the 60 per cent amount is not received from the Government of India, then the educational institutions could not claim their fee from the Punjab government.

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