Post Matric Scholarship scam in Odisha: CAG finds misappropriation running into crores 

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has detected large-scale misappropriation of scholarship money under the Post Matric Scholarship (PMS) scheme for Scheduled Tribes (ST)/ Scheduled Castes (SC) students.

Between the financial years of 2017-18 and 2020-21, the system of identification of the beneficiaries as well as determination of their eligibility had been severely compromised leading to the disbursement of scholarship to the ghost as well as ineligible beneficiaries. 

As per the CAG's compliance audit report, 2022, which was presented in the Assembly on Wednesday, most such cases were reported from the Khordha district. During the period from 2017 to 2021, in 256 applications pertaining to 119 students of 24 institutions in the district, the Caste Certificates had been fabricated and Rs 97.32 lakh was paid to ineligible persons. 

Similarly, Rs 40.51 lakh was paid to ineligible persons against fabricated income certificates. A total of Rs 3.42 crore was paid to ghost beneficiaries across the state. 

“We inspected eight to 10 institutions. We did it forcefully as they were not ready for it. They didn’t have admission registers. Their records were fake ones,” said Rajkumar, Principal AG. 

“After admission and application for scholarships, if a student withdraws from the college, we can’t detect it,” said Dr Jaykrushna Maharana, principal, Bhubaneswar Engineering College. 

Also Read: Odisha government issues guidelines for re-engagement of retired government servants

Now, the question is being raised if college authorities and concerned officials are involved in the misappropriation of the money. 

“A probe will be initiated into the CAG report and stringent action will be taken against whosoever is involved,” said Technical Education Minister Sampad Swain. 

“No student is benefited from this. On the other hand, college authorities and the officials who were dealing with it shared the money among them,” said Kamalaprasad Mohapatra, an educationist.