Centre seeks poll panel go-ahead to release Rs 200-crore SC scholarships

The Central government has written to the Election Commission of India (EC) seeking permission to release over Rs 200 crore towards scholarships to 3.14 lakh Scheduled Caste students across nine states, including Rs 149 crore to poll-bound Punjab.

The government is also likely to request for release of central funding towards 2.85 lakh SC students in Uttar Pradesh next week, ET has learnt. Over 1.1 lakh SC scholarships, involving Rs 149 crore central funding, could be released this week under an ongoing central scheme, provided the EC gives the go ahead.

This is the first of the Centre's 'references' to the poll panel amid the model code of conduct that has kicked in with respect to elections in UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

While the ECI mostly permits ongoing schemes in the model code period, fund release under a beneficiary scheme to poll-bound states, is bound to draw scrutiny.

The model code of conduct bars the ruling party at the Centre and states from announcing new welfare decisions or effecting such decisions in poll-bound states, to ensure a level playing field to all political parties in the fray.

The Centre has cited the disbursal as part of the ongoing scheme of post matriculation scholarship for SC students. It has informed the EC that the funds were being released to several states as part of the scheme, as per due process and not just to poll-bound ones.

The disbursal under the scheme has been delayed reportedly due to the pandemic and data verification pendency in states.

The Rs 205 crore -- for which disbursal permission has been sought from the ECI -- include funding of over Rs 21 crore to West Bengal for over 1 lakh scholarships, over Rs 9 crore to Odisha, Rs 15 crore to Chhattisgarh, Rs 90 lakh and Rs 7 lakh to Karnataka and Rajasthan respectively.

The all India Post Matric scholarship scheme for SCs gives financial assistance of about Rs 18,000 per annum to SC students at post matriculation/post secondary stage (Classes 11, 12 up) to help them complete their education. The scholarship is crucial to increasing participation of SC students in higher education.

ET had reported last week that almost 55 lakh post matric scholarships for SC students were held up across states even as the academic term draws to a close. For instance, Punjab had not disbursed a single scholarship to 2.24 lakh SC students nor has 24,000-plus SC students in Uttarakhand.

UP has managed to disburse scholarship amount to just about 1.3 lakh students as on December 31, 2021 against the identified 13 lakh student beneficiaries.

In Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, scholarship money has not been awarded to a single student as of December 31, 2021.

West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh had covered just a small fraction of their eligible SC students. The Centre has been nudging all states to expedite the disbursal process.

In total, 61.3 lakh SC students have been identified for scholarship across India, records have been verified by states for 23.2 lakh students and scholarship amount has been disbursed to 4.09 lakh students as on December 31, 2021.