Punjab dismisses 6 govt officials for involvement in SC scholarship scam

The Punjab government will now hand over the case to the Vigilance Bureau for a thorough probe into the scam.  

The Punjab government dismissed six government employees for their alleged role in INR 39-crore post-matric SC (Scheduled Caste) scholarship scam during the previous Congress regime. 

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said after conducting an investigation in the multi-crore scam, the department has found the involvement of six employees, including four officials from the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities and two from the Finance Department. They were sacked at once and further inquiry has been recommended to the Punjab vigilance for a thorough probe into this scam. 

Minister Baljit Kaur, who was also present with Cheema, said that the scam took place in 2019 during the Congress government and discrepancies amounting to INR 55 crore were detected, of which over INR 16 crore excess payment was allocated to some colleges. Instead of taking action against these erring institutes, benefits running into crores were extended to them.  

She said the probe found that there was no proof of the remaining amount of INR 39 crore, which was disbursed to some fake colleges and the then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had given a clean chit to then Cabinet Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot in the case.  

The minister said that the departmental investigation revealed that disbursal of scholarship to the eligible SC students were ignored and undue benefits were given to certain private institutes. The Cabinet Minister said that the previous government had ordered an audit to unearth the scam, however, rather than collecting the deceitfully given funds to ‘fake colleges’, the Congress government re-ordered the audit and gave more funds to these colleges.  

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