Minority students did not get scholarship money: NGO petition

MUMBAI: Movement for Peace Justice (MPJ), a city based non-governmental organisation (NGO), has filed a writ petition in Bombay high court, alleging that the state

MUMBAI: Movement for Peace Justice (MPJ), a city based non-governmental organisation (NGO), has filed a writ petition in Bombay high court, alleging that the state and central governments and banks have failed to implement the court’s directives on disbursement of scholarships to students from religious minorities.

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The court is likely to hear the petition next month.

In order to ensure timely disbursement of the pre-matric scholarships given to poor minority students, the HC, in 2013, had taken a suo moto writ petition to address these issues. The banks were directed to allow students to open accounts without any deposit and the state government was asked to deposit the amount before July 31.

The activists said the state has been unable to timely deposit the scholarship money, which is disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, to students’ bank accounts. They also said that due to the banks’ refusal to open accounts at zero balance, despite the court order, has cost many deserving students the aid.

“Barring a few branches of Bank of Maharashtra, no bank allows poor parents to open accounts without depositing money. Many students who applied last year are yet to receive their scholarships, while the government is still accepting fresh applications,” said Razaullah Khan, a school principal from Latur and district secretary of MPJ. The deadline to apply for pre-matric scholarships has been extended till the end of September.

According to the data compiled through the state government’s response to an RTI query by MPJ and other sources, from 2009, thousands of students were deprived of scholarships although more than Rs100 crore sanctioned by the Centre and state government were unspent.

While activists blame the state, officials said the money doesn’t reach many owing to erroneous and incomplete information provided by applicants.

In 2015-16, of the 5,66,000 school students awarded the scholarship, 58,000 (10%) said no money was deposited in their bank accounts. In 2014-15 and 2013-14, 25% and 61% of students said they didn’t receive the money.

Nandan Nangare, director, minority and adult education in Maharashtra, said: “The scholarships are awarded through National Scholarship Portal and the state no more contributes to the scholarship fund. Our job now is to just receive the applications.”