Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has ordered a probe alleging corruption in the 'Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana' launched by the previous AAP government, Education Minister Ashish Sood said on Wednesday.
The decision was taken based on the recommendation of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who in a post on X said, "Allegations of major financial irregularities have emerged in the 'Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana' during 2020-21."
She alleged that while the official budget for the scheme was Rs 15 crore, the Arvind Kejriwal government cleared bills worth over Rs 145 crore.
The scheme, launched in 2018, was aimed at providing free coaching to SC, ST, OBC, EWS and minority students at private coaching institutes for various competitive exams, including the UPSC, SSC, NEET, and CLAT.
The scheme was discontinued when the new government was formed in February this year.
Hitting back at the BJP-led government, the Aam Aadmi Party termed the ACB probe as "vendetta politics."
Addressing a press conference, Sood, flanked by SC/ST Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj, alleged that during 2021-22, private coaching institutes submitted bills of Rs 145 crore, despite minimal documentation and no proper verification of beneficiaries.
"Shockingly, the AAP government did not even ask for a list of students from these institutes before processing the bills," Sood said, adding that after the BJP government came to power, the institutes were asked to submit student details and a list of 13,000 students was received, he said.
According to him, verified records, however, showed only about 3,000 students receiving coaching under the scheme.
"There was such corruption by the previous AAP government that even Dr Ambedkar's soul would be pained," the minister said.
Indraj pointed out that the matter is already under judicial scrutiny and that the government's preliminary findings reveal that about 35 coaching centres failed to provide verified data for even 100 students.
He charged that when the COVID cases were going up and lakhs of families were struggling financially, leaders from the previous government, in alleged collusion with "coaching mafias," launched this scam.
Sood said the scheme was proposed to coach 4,900 students in 2018 and 2,071 in 2019. However, between July 2021 and August 2022, bills worth Rs 145 crore were submitted.
"Surprisingly, instead of verifying the bills, the AAP government later took the coaching institutes to court over the payments," he added.
Sood said, "The average coaching cost is Rs 1 lakh for IAS, Rs 50,000 for MBA/CLAT, Rs 30,000 for SSC/LIC, Rs 25,000 for Group-C exams and Rs 10,000 for interview preparation."
He added, "Even if we consider that all 3,000 verified students took IAS coaching, the maximum cost would be around Rs 30 crore. How did it become Rs 145 crore?"
Gupta, in her post, said the Aam Aadmi Party will have to account for every penny.
"Their politics has always been a show in the name of Dalits. But when it came to responsibility, they did not hesitate to rob them of their rights. Now their real face will be exposed," she alleged.
The AAP in a statement said the saffron party had "shut down a functioning model" of public services in education, health, and electricity, alleging it of indulging in vendetta politics.
"Check every brick in Delhi's schools, every needle in our Mohalla Clinics … But after you are done with your witch hunt, start doing some real work," the party said in the statement, urging the BJP to honour the public mandate and focus on governance.
The party alleged that civic issues such as power cuts, sewer overflows, and fee hikes in private schools have worsened under the BJP's watch.
"Six months have gone by, and not a single step has been taken to address the issues of ordinary citizens," it said.
The AAP flagged the BJP's yet to be ratified promise of Rs 2,500 per month to them.
"They have turned 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan' into 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Maidaan,'" it added.