E-Paper
Crime branch to register case against NGOs fleecing students
The government will file an FIR against NGOs who had fleeced money from the students promising them admissions in professional colleges across the country under Prime Minister's Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS).
The government will file an FIR against NGOs who had fleeced money from the students promising them admissions in professional colleges across the country under Prime Minister's Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS).
Higher education minister Mohammad Akbar Lone said on Sunday that NGOs had "no role in this scheme".
"I assure the House that FIRs would be filed in the crime branch against such NGOs," said Lone in the Legislative Council on Sunday.
He made this assurance after MLCs said many cases had surfaced where NGOs fleeced money from the students under this scheme. The members raised their concern to a clubbed question by Khalid Najib Suhrawardy, Sheikh Ghulam Rasool and Mohammad Muzafar Parray.
The minister, in his reply, said the matter was being investigated by the police and the same "cannot be referred to the crime branch as names of the NGOs were not known".
The members said it was the job of the government to investigate the case. MLC Devender Rana said as per the reports, "prima facie the role of the NGOs is dubious and the same should be investigated".
MLCs Syed Rafiq Shah, Nayeem Akhtar, BR Kundal, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Showkat Ganai, Naresh Kumar, Janangir Hussain Mir and Shehnaz Ganai raised supplementaries on the issue.
The minister, in his reply, said, "In 2013-14 academic year, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has received 5,608 applications, but recommended only 1,502 eligible students for scholarship to various colleges.
Under the scheme, five seats in each professional college are reserved for the students of the state.
Lone said that on the recommendations made by the chief minister to the Prime Minister for clearing the scholarship case of the ineligible students as a "onetime relaxation for safeguarding their future", the inter-ministerial committee during its 8th meeting held on November 26, 2013, recommended additional 2,245 ineligible candidates for scholarships taking into account relocation proposals as well as financial constraints.
He said, "Therefore, 3,747 candidates have been recommended for scholarship during the year 2013-14, subject to the condition that in the next academic year, the additional students would be relocated to other institutions within the same university (wherever possible) or other university in the region subject to vacancy in the second year."
He said the AICTE will obtain an undertaking from the students regarding their relocation to the other institutes as per their preference or as per the allotment to be made by AICTE.
