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SC scholarship scam: Action initiated against five Punjab officials
Punjab Social justice, empowerment and minorities minister Raj Kumar Verka said the department has decided to chargesheet five officials, including deputy director Parminder Singh Gill, deputy controller finance and administration Charanjit Singh, section officer Mukesh Bhatia, superintendent Rajinder Chopra and senior assistant Rakesh Arora, for serious lapses in fund disbursal
The Punjab social justice and empowerment department has initiated action against five officials for alleged irregularities in the disbursal of funds under the Scheduled Caste Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme (PMS-SC).
Social justice, empowerment and minorities minister Raj Kumar Verka said the department has decided to chargesheet five officials, including deputy director Parminder Singh Gill, deputy controller finance and administration Charanjit Singh, section officer Mukesh Bhatia, superintendent Rajinder Chopra and senior assistant Rakesh Arora, for serious lapses in fund disbursal. “I have ordered strict action against all the officials who were involved in irregular fund releases to colleges,” he told Hindustan Times.
The minister said notices have also been issued to colleges for recovery of ₹100 crore, but they are still to deposit the funds. “If these funds are not refunded, FIRs will be registered against the colleges. I have already given orders to this effect to the department. No laxity with be tolerated,” he warned. The scam in PMS-SC, a centrally-funded scheme to provide financial assistance to SC students to complete their education, was detected in 2019.
In August 2019, then additional chief secretary, social justice, Kripa Shankar Saro ha in a report to chief secretary Vini Mahajan raised serious questions about the role of then minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot in fund releases, pointing out the patronage provided to “handpicked” officials.
However, Dharamsot was given a clean chit by a second probe by Mahajan and some other IAS officers. The irregularities are already being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
