Only 30% students give the scholarship amount to colleges, deposited in their accounts

By Vikas Vaidya

There is a good news for colleges as finally Government has deposited the amount of scholarship directly in the students’ accounts as a part of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme. There is a bad news also, as nearly 30 per cent of these total students turned up to the colleges with the fees that was deposited in their accounts. Colleges had to endeavor to get that money from students. Now rest 70 per cent students have denied the receipt of any amount related to scholarship. To add to the woes of the colleges, Government has yet not given the scholarship amount of the year 2017-18 as promised by it through Government Resolution dated December 8, 2017.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was formed to unearth the scholarship scam had suggested DBT which is adopted by Government. While implementing DBT, Government forgot to give a thought to the aspect of transfer of the amount deposited in students’ accounts to the colleges’ ones.  During the issuance of GR regarding DBT, most of the colleges had expressed fear that students would elope with the amount but it fell on deaf ear of Social Justice Department. The process of DBT delayed by one year. It was announced in the year 2017. Now finally Government deposited the amount of scholarship in the accounts of students but colleges have a hard time to get transferred that amount to their accounts. Still the colleges could manage only 30 per cent of the students turning up to them. A large percentage of the students denied of receipt of any scholarship amount.
To add to the problems of colleges, some amount of this scholarship to be deposited in the accounts of the students bounced back. The reason behind it is for this DBT, the students were supposed to open their own accounts in the banks. Most of the students came from poor background so they had to open zero balance accounts. The banks made it clear that these students would not get cheque book. Also, these students would have amount limit for withdrawing and depositing. For example, a particular bank has fixed a limit of Rs 30,000 for withdrawal and depositing. The college in which he is studying charges Rs 1 lakh as tuition fee. Naturally Social Justice Department would deposit Rs one lakh in his account. But this bank would not allow to get deposited Rs one lakh as it has fixed the limit of Rs 30,000. The amount about Rs 30,000 would bounce back. It also means that colleges have to suffer and make rounds of bank and Social Justice Department to get the remaining amount.

Amount of 2017-18 still pending

The scholarship amount of the year 2017-18 to be given to colleges is still pending with the Government. A delegation of engineering colleges had met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, last year in December. He had promised that the 60 per cent of the total dues would be given to colleges directly. A GR in that regard was issued on December 8. Not a single penny of that pending amount is paid, the reasons best known to the Government.