The Punjab government has announced the release of Rs 92 crore for the post-matric scholarship program benefiting Scheduled Caste (SC) students. This allocation is part of the government's continued effort to support the education of SC students, with Rs 245 crore earmarked for scholarships in the fiscal year 2024-25, according to Punjab Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment, and Minorities, Baljit Kaur.
This release will help clear pending dues for government institutions and SC students studying in other states. Minister Kaur mentioned that Rs 59.34 crore has already been disbursed to 256 institutions, with efforts underway to distribute the remaining funds to other institutions. In the previous financial year (2023-24), the Punjab government released Rs 366 crore to clear dues for scholarships from the academic years 2017-18 to 2019-20. Of this, Rs 283.62 crore was already disbursed to 1,008 institutions, and the remaining dues will be paid soon.
Minister Kaur highlighted that the funds meant for the scholarship scheme between 2017 and 2020 were neither provided by the central government nor by the then Congress-led Punjab government, resulting in the withholding of degrees for SC students by colleges. Since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, assumed office, the state government has worked to ensure the uninterrupted education of SC students.
For the academic year 2024-25, nearly 2.31 lakh students have registered for the scholarship scheme. Kaur urged the Centre to release its pending share of the scholarship funds to avoid any disruption in SC students' education. She reaffirmed the state government's commitment to addressing these issues and ensuring that all eligible students benefit from the program.
