JOIN USIn yet another instance of corruption, the money allocated for implementing a scholarship scheme for students - the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for ex-servicemen’s children - has been siphoned off by officials in Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB). The board administers the scholarship.
On November 13, according to Delhi Police sources, the Ministry of Defence got a whiff of the scam when the daughter of a former Sergeant Shikha Mohanty lodged a complaint that she had not received her scholarship amount for the third year of Master of the Computer Application course she was pursuing.
On inquiry, the KSB found that the annual amount of Rs 18,000, her eligibility scholarship money, was credited into an unauthorised State Bank of India account. And there were more than one tranche of such suspicious transactions in the bank account.
Deeper probe threw up more shocking details: Four bank accounts were opened specifically to divert scholarship money. A board of inquiry was constituted to fix the accountability in the scam and an FIR was lodged with the RK Puram police station.
KSB assistant accountant Anuj Kumar is alleged to be the mastermind of the scam. Kumar was assisted by board clerk Shiv Chandra Kumar in fraudulently withdrawing the money. The two have allegedly confessed to diverting the scholarship money. They offered to return part of the loot, Rs 75,000 and Rs 1.75 lakh, police sources said.
Accounts frozen
Over the years, the two employees had embezzled Rs 14 lakh from the scholarship fund account though they have not yet admitted to their guilt. The salary accounts of the two accused have been frozen.
Initially, the Delhi police did not appear to be serious about conducting a probe into the complaint by the girl though. It was only after a call was made to Police Control Room on ‘100’ that the RK Puram police station swung into action to register the FIR, on November 20. Both accused have since been arrested and sent to Tihar Jail. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had launched the scholarship scheme on the occasion of Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday in 2006.
Annually, 4,000 meritorious students from ex-servicemen’s families are awarded the scholarship to pursue technical and professional courses. The scholarship is four a period of two to five years. Initially, the amount of money was fixed at Rs 15,000 for boys and Rs 18,000 for girls. The amount has been enhanced and at present it stands at Rs 24,000 for boys and Rs 27,000 for girls.
The selected students get scholarship money directly in their bank accounts through net banking by the KSB which comes under the Ministry of Defence. The ministry, said sources, is going through all records of the scholarship implementation to ascertain the magnitude of the scam.