Chandigarh, Nov 3 (IANS): All India Congress Committee General Secretary Kumari Selja on Sunday said a scam of hundreds of crore has taken place in scholarships for children belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backward Class (OBC) families in Haryana.

In some districts, she said, there has been misappropriation of funds, while in others students who are eligible have been waiting for scholarships for 10 years.

She demanded an investigation into the scholarship scandal that occurred during the BJP government’s tenure since 2014 by a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to reveal the truth.

Member of Parliament Kumari Selja said a recent case in Kaithal where a scholarship scam amounting to Rs 96 lakh came to light. Calling it just a sample, she said reports of such scams are emerging from all districts in the state, and a state-level investigation into these scams is essential.

“The funds embezzled in these scams may surpass hundreds of crores. Reports also suggest the involvement of officials within the government in the scholarship scam, making it impossible to trust any state agency to conduct an impartial investigation,” she said.

The former Union Minister said while officials in the government are engaged in robbing the rights of Scheduled and Backward students, millions of eligible students have been deprived of scholarships for 10 years.

An RTI (Right to Information) inquiry revealed that despite being eligible 943,605 Scheduled Caste students and 281,649 Backward Class students have not received scholarships over the past decade.

According to the response from the government, from January 1, 2013, to November 30, 2023, a total of 3,437,866 Scheduled Caste students and 1,141,435 Backward Class students were scholarship beneficiaries.

“Due to the anti-poor policies of the BJP government and the Education Department, millions of students have not received scholarships over the past 10 years,” she alleged.

Kumari Selja said the Congress government initiated scholarships for Scheduled and Backward Class students studying from Class 1 to Class 12 in government schools, providing a fixed amount based on their grade level. The Manmohan Singh government also made provisions for funds for school uniforms.

She said the lack of scholarships despite eligibility has shocked millions of parents. The BJP's claim to be the benefactor of Scheduled, Backward, and poor families has been exposed, she added.