ThePunjab government will pay 40% of the Rs 200 crore arrears of privateeducational institutions, against the post matric scholarship scheme for SCstudents, for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20.
Thiswas decided by the state cabinet at a virtual meeting chaired by Chief MinisterCaptain Amarinder Singh.
Themeeting decided that the Chief Minister will take up the issue of the balance60% pending arrears with the Prime Minister.
TheCabinet, while approving the report submitted by the Group of Ministers (GoM),constituted to look into the difficulties faced in the implementation of thePost Matric Scholarship scheme for Scheduled Castes for the said period,decided that the government will give these arrears to the private institutionsin 3 equal quarterly installments during the year 2021-22.
TheGoM, comprising Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Social Justice,Empowerment & Minorities Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Higher EducationMinister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Technical Education Minister CharanjitSingh Channi, was constituted on January 14, 2021.
ThePost Matric Scholarship Scheme to SC students is being implemented throughCentral assistance but no funds have been released against the demand for theyears 2017-18 to 2019-20. Keeping in view the hardships faced by SC students,the GoM was constituted to examine and resolve this issue to secure the futureof SC students.
TheGoM had also recommended that private educational institutions would not retainthe roll numbers, certificates and degrees of SC students, would make no claimsnor approach court against Punjab Government for claiming pending fees for thesession of 2017-18 to 2019-2020. Further, they will withdraw cases pending inCourt in this matter, the Group had suggested.
Further,it has said in its report that if 60%amount is not received from the Government of India (GoI), then the educationalinstitutions could not claim their fee from Punjab Government.