Porous rules helping fake beneficiaries avail scholarship

By Vikas Vaidya

Due to the penetrable rules in Government system, the fake beneficiaries are availing the scholarships provided to people of various categories while taking education. Surprisingly, the same student who claims scholarship during Centralised Admission Process (CAP) proving his non-affordability, pays full fees when he or she takes admission in institute-level quota. At institute-level quota one does not get scholarship benefits.
There are various criterions for getting scholarships in various categories. The reserved category students (SC/ST/OBC/VJNT) get scholarship on the basis of the caste validity certificates. The condition of income limit is applicable to reserved category students too. For SC, ST the income limit is Rs 2 lakh while for OBC, VJNT, the limit is Rs one lakh. The students of SC category can get the scholarship benefits if their income is upto Rs 2 lakh, above this limit, these students get freeship (tuition fee is waived but don’t get maintenance allowance and examination fees). There is another category wherein the students, be it of any category can get scholarship if their income is below Rs 2.5 lakh. These students come under Economically Backward Class (EBC).
There are several loopholes in the rules and system through which scholarship is distributed. The cases have come to the fore wherein students are submitting the fake income certificates. While allotting income certificates Tahsildar has to go through the affidavit submitted by the candidate. The affidavit submitted by candidate is considered as valid document, on the basis of which the candidate gets the income certificate. The candidate after showing the same can avail scholarship benefit. One can understand how easy it is for the candidates to get income certificate.
According to a parent, who called ‘The Hitavada’ and informed that when he had gone to a college for his ward’s admission, he came to know about the fake beneficiaries. He hails from a well-to-do family but just for information he also prepared the affidavit and submitted the same with Tahsildar and got income certificate bringing him in lower income group. He was horrified by the same.
This man also explored another angle to this particular aspect. He found out that some of the students who procured income certificate from Tahsildar for availing scholarship, when failed to get admissions through CAP, did it at institute level. While admitting themselves in the quota of institute, these very students paid full fees.
Whether Government can stop this nonsense? According to Ashwin Mudgal, District Collector, it can’t be stopped. “It is in rule, Tahsildar should allot income certificate to candidate on receipt of affidavit. There is no other way to verify. Affidavit is the only valid document for Tahsildar and his signed certificate has the validity. If somebody lodges complaint about the fake beneficiary with all evidences, then only the cases under sections of Indian Penal Code can be registered and person can be prosecuted,” said Mudgal.

Father’s Aadhar, Form 16 should be linked

If Government applies rule in proper way, it can save its own money being given to some lakh students in the form of scholarship. In Nagpur district, around 2 lakh students avail the benefits of scholarship. It can be reduced by half if their parents’ Aadhar or Form 16 is linked, said a reliable source. Maharashtra Government has started Aadhar linking of students from last year when Government introduced Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Since students don’t earn, their Aadhar naturally shows no income in their names. It paves the way for them in becoming eligible for getting scholarship. According to one official of Social Justice Department, the Aadhar and Form number 16 of the parents should be linked. If this is done then their real income would become visible. If that income is more than the prescribed limit then the scholarship application of such students can be rejected. This would save the amount of Government, this official told ‘The Hitavada’.