A multi crore scam by DHE Maharashtra in minority scholarship fund; 48,500 Minority Students yet to get scholarship : SIO Maharashtra South Zone

Pune, October 1, 2012: Post matric scholarship implementation remains a question of concern with many efforts been made by Students Islamic Organisation of India to ensure minority students get their scholarships. In an important meet, SIO delegation comprising of Mr. Shaikh Nadeem (Coordinator, SIO Scholarship Cell Maharastra), Mr. Mohammed Ali (Campus Secretary, SIO Maharashtra) and Mr. Shaikh Khizer (President, SIO Pune) met Mr. Lucas L. Kamsuan, the Director of Post Matric Scholarship Scheme, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Govt. of India and Mr.Arun Kumar, Deputy Secretary who were there in the city to attend a meeting on Minority scholarship. The delegation discussed various problems that are been encountered in the implementation of Post matric Scholarship and also submitted a memorandum highlighting the issues and problems that pose a threat towards proper implementation of this scheme.

Mr. Nadeem briefly discussed the issues that were presented in the memorandum which include but are not limited to failure of Directorate of Higher Education to disburse the amount of Rs 31.06 crore sanctioned for the academic year 2011-12. Mr. Lucas remarked that even though the amount has been released by the center in the month of March, 2011 it has not been released by the state DHE. Among the other problems, Mr. Khizer briefed about the various problems in the online portal for scholarship and also said that SIO has been meeting with Mr. Kadu, the Director of Higher Education, Maharashtra but they haven’t received any positive response from him and his team. Mr. Mohammed Ali spoke about the problems encountered by students at the base level such as improper advertisement about the scholarship, wrong information given by the joint directors to the students, lack of coordination between the directors and the joint directors and the improper use of funds for administrative expenses. Mr. Khizer said that, “Minority students are not willing to fill the scholarship forms as they have not yet received the previous year’s scholarship”.

The delegation also suggested some reforms that could help in proper implementation of the scheme. Mr. Arun Kumar assured that as the list of selected candidates for scholarship is not been displayed on the state website even though it is mandatory ,he will make a provision to display the list on the central website of minority affairs so that students can have direct access to  it. Mr. Lucas told that they will set up a student Help desk to help minority students regarding queries about the scholarship. Mr. Nadeem suggested a state level grievance cell to address the problems of the students. Mr. Mohammed Ali requested the personnel’s to keep a close watch on the state DHE to ensure that the scholarships reach the students within time. Mr. Khizer stated that “Our aim to ensure that the students get their due”. SIO believes that if responsible persons like Mr. Lucas are there in the implementation we will soon be able to overcome the obstacles and we expect his continued support. Mr. Lucas applauded SIO for its efforts and ensured that he is always willing to coordinate and he himself wants to develop a system where students are more concerned about their academics rather than running to get their due scholarships. 

Mr. Lucas assured that he is trying his level best to see that the Minority scholarship is properly implemented. SIO has been raising its voice against the improper implementation of the Minority scholarship since the scheme was implemented in 2009. SIO believes that lack of coordination remains a hurdle in the implementation. Mr. Nadeem warned that if the scholarship amount for 2011-12 is not released immediately, SIO would launch a state wide agitation.