Social welfare department of the Punjab government today published an advertisement in the news papers regarding the implementation of the post matric scholarship scheme for the students of minority communities from the year 2012-13. Stating the advertisement as false and misleading, Ravnit Singh Bittoo, MP, Sri Anandpur Sahib said that the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP government is taking the credit for the schemes which are initiated by the UPA government at centre which is absolutely wrong.
Bittoo said that this scholarship scheme for the children of the minorities was started by the UPA government in the year 2008-09 and the funds were released for all the states in the country. According to the data available from the planning department of Punjab government, Punjab also received 54.93 lacs under this scheme but the SAD(B) and BJP government did not implement it fearing the assembly elections in the state. Again 1250 lacs were planned for the year 2009-10 by the state government but the Punjab government only spent 125.90 lacs. Actually the state government didn’t want to implement any scheme which was under the flagship of UPA government at the centre fearing that it would adversely effect the election results.
Bittoo asked S Parkash Singh Badal to mark a probe into the published advertisement and the concerned officials who have got it published. Bittoo said that I personally asked the concerned deputy commissioners about implementation of this scheme in his constituency but none of the officials gave satisfactory reply. “I fear that the above mentioned funds (54.93 + 125.90) lacs were also perted to other schemes by this government. I want a thorough probe into this by the chief minister of Punjab and In future also the state government should not misguide the people of Punjab” Bittoo said.