<p>Five school teachers among 21 persons have been arrested in Assam in connection with an alleged scam in which a large amount of money sanctioned for pre-Matric scholarship to minority students have been misappropriated since 2018.</p>.<p>The CID of Assam police made the arrests following investigation into an FIR lodged by Mahmood Hassan, director of Assam Minority Development Board and the state nodal offocer, Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities on August 28 this year. The FIR alleged that a large amount of money sanctioned for the Pre-Matric Scholarship, a central scheme under the union ministry of minority affairs was misappropriated between 2018-19 and 2019-2020 </p>.<p>"On the basis of evidence collected during investigation so far, 21 persons have been apprehended by the CID with the support of local police in Goalpara, Darrang, Kamup and Dhubri districts as a result of coordinated search operations on multiple places which started on October 8," Assam police said in a statement. </p>.<p>The scholarship is offered to minority students who secure 50% marks in the previous examination and whose family annual income does not exceed Rs. 1 lakh. Such students are eligible to apply online under the scheme for classes from Class I to X for students belonging to the minority communities. The money is transferred online through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.</p>.<p>Police said investigation was underway to find out how they managed to misappropriate the money despite being a DBT-attached scheme.</p>.<p>Out of the 21 arrested accused persons, four are headmasters of schools, one teacher, one president of School Management Committee, 10 middlemen among others. Police have seized three laptops, 217 students' photographs, 104 bonafide students certificate, 173 pre-matric scholarship forms and 11 bank passbooks.</p>.<p>The alleged scam surfaced weeks after the state police made several arrests in another alleged scam committed while appointing sub-inspectors in the state police.</p>.<p>The two alleged scams, which have come into the fore months before the Assembly elections slated next year could be an embarrassment to the ruling BJP, which promised corruption-free Assam after forming its first government in 2016.</p>
<p>Five school teachers among 21 persons have been arrested in Assam in connection with an alleged scam in which a large amount of money sanctioned for pre-Matric scholarship to minority students have been misappropriated since 2018.</p>.<p>The CID of Assam police made the arrests following investigation into an FIR lodged by Mahmood Hassan, director of Assam Minority Development Board and the state nodal offocer, Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities on August 28 this year. The FIR alleged that a large amount of money sanctioned for the Pre-Matric Scholarship, a central scheme under the union ministry of minority affairs was misappropriated between 2018-19 and 2019-2020 </p>.<p>"On the basis of evidence collected during investigation so far, 21 persons have been apprehended by the CID with the support of local police in Goalpara, Darrang, Kamup and Dhubri districts as a result of coordinated search operations on multiple places which started on October 8," Assam police said in a statement. </p>.<p>The scholarship is offered to minority students who secure 50% marks in the previous examination and whose family annual income does not exceed Rs. 1 lakh. Such students are eligible to apply online under the scheme for classes from Class I to X for students belonging to the minority communities. The money is transferred online through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.</p>.<p>Police said investigation was underway to find out how they managed to misappropriate the money despite being a DBT-attached scheme.</p>.<p>Out of the 21 arrested accused persons, four are headmasters of schools, one teacher, one president of School Management Committee, 10 middlemen among others. Police have seized three laptops, 217 students' photographs, 104 bonafide students certificate, 173 pre-matric scholarship forms and 11 bank passbooks.</p>.<p>The alleged scam surfaced weeks after the state police made several arrests in another alleged scam committed while appointing sub-inspectors in the state police.</p>.<p>The two alleged scams, which have come into the fore months before the Assembly elections slated next year could be an embarrassment to the ruling BJP, which promised corruption-free Assam after forming its first government in 2016.</p>
