Scholarship ranging between Rs30K and Rs 3L pa meant for national integration yet to reach students who are now in middle of their courses
A scholarship scheme meant for ‘national integration’ of alienated Kashmiri youth is in the danger of doing the opposite — underlining Indian State’s insensitive attitude towards Kashmir.
Sajad Mir, a 22-year-old student at Udaipur’s SS College Of Engineering and son of an almond farmer, is in a depressing situation. “We trusted the government of India and came here. Now our future is at stake,” he said.
Sajad has completed one semester of the four-year B Tech programme at his college but is yet to receive from the government the scholarship money under which he had been enrolled. He feels like he is living off the money of his college, an undignified existence, when actually he had qualified for a scholarship programme. There are 70 other students like him in his college. And 5,000 students all over India.
The Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) was launched in 2010 on the recommendation of an expert group under prime minister Manmohan Singh.
It aimed at encouraging Kashmiri students from families with income below Rs 4.5 lakh per annum to study in colleges outside the state on a fully-funded scholarship. It properly began only last year but still the money has not yet reached the students who are now in the middle of their courses. The scheme aimed at 5,000 free scholarships ranging between Rs 30,000 and 3 lakh per annum.
“Our future is at stake,” said Sajad, who is facing the danger of wasting a year. The colleges have been bearing the cost of the students on their own till now. Fayaz Ahmad Bhat of Jammu and Kashmir Peace Foundation who had campaigned to encourage Kashimiri students to apply for this scheme says that many students have also been facing harassment as colleges don’t know what to do with them.
Sources in the Union HRD ministry say the delay has been due to problems in the verification process as bogus cases have been reported. To hasten the process, it was transferred to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
AICTE chairman SS Mantha told dna, “We have done the verification and sent our recommendations to the ministry. It should not take more than 10 days now to release the money. There were no bogus cases.” Earlier HRD minister Pallam Raju had said in response to MP GN Ratanpuri’s question in parliament that release of scholarship money would be done by March 2013.
What is worrying those involved in the inception of the scheme is the negative message it sends out to young Kashmiris. MM Ansari of the UGC told dna, “The situation shows the lackadaisical attitude and lack of concern and will encourage fringe elements. It is not a question of policy paralysis as policy is already there. It is a question of attitude and I have been pursuing the ministry for the last eight months on the issue.”
Fayaz calls it “dangerous as it gives encouragement to being exploited by separatist sentiments”. A scheme meant to target a sensitive issue like alienation among Kashmiri youth should have been better handled as it was never merely a scholarship scheme.
If students end up going back, it would only add to the sense of alienation they already feel. Already it has been a bad experience for them. Though sources in the ministry say the money should be released soon, till that happens it is a distressing wait for enrolled students.
The scheme
The Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) was launched in 2010 on the recommendation of an expert group under prime minister Manmohan Singh
It aimed at encouraging Kashmiri students from families with income below Rs 4.5 lakh per annum to study in colleges outside the state on a fully-funded scholarship.
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