New Delhi [India], October 16 : Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal on Thursday said the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had flagged delays of up to 89 months in scholarship payments to Scheduled Caste (SC) students, with some eligible beneficiaries receiving no payments.
In a post on X, Venugopal said the committee examined the Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship schemes for SC students and identified delays in fund disbursement, lapses in eligibility verification and payments to ineligible beneficiaries.
https://x.com/kcvenugopalmp/status/2110747879665217911?s=20
"The audit found students waiting up to 48 months for Pre-Matric dues and up to 89 months for Post-Matric dues, with some receiving nothing at all. Income and caste eligibility went unverified, and payments reached non-SC beneficiaries while eligible children waited," he said.
The senior Congress leader further said the committee had summoned the chief secretaries of six states that performed poorly under the schemes to give oral evidence, but none appeared.
"The Chief Secretaries of 6 of the poor-performing States were summoned to give oral evidence. None of them appeared. The Committee has taken serious note of this as contempt and will bring it to the notice of the Hon'ble Speaker for action under the privilege rules," he said.
Highlighting the importance of scholarships for students from disadvantaged communities, Venugopal said the PAC considered the delivery of social justice a constitutional obligation and would hold states and ministries accountable for ensuring eligible students received their dues.
"For a Dalit child, a scholarship decides whether the classroom stays within reach. The PAC treats the delivery of social justice as a constitutional obligation, and it will hold every State and Ministry accountable until every eligible student receives what is due to them," he added.
Earlier, on September 22, Venugopal said the PAC had discussed three key issues concerning Rajasthan, including alleged shortcomings in the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, bank lending to small-scale micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and delays in scholarships for SC and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students.
“We discussed 3 important subjects, which pertain to Rajasthan. 1) Ayushman Bharat Scheme - we found out that there are a lot of shortcomings in the scheme and its implementation. 2) Banks - their lending priority to small-scale MSMEs is not happening. MSMEs should be given maximum priority. 3) We also discussed the most important thing - Scholarship scheme for SC/ST students. It has been completely delayed for 89 months...” Venugopal said.
The Public Accounts Committee examines government expenditure and accounts, including appropriation accounts and reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, to assess whether public funds have been legally and appropriately utilised.