SCs, STs concerned over delay in grant of scholarships to students

Mangalore, June 19: Activists working for the cause of the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) on Saturday expressed their concern over the delay in grant of financial aid and scholarships to children of the SCs and STs.

They were participating in a meeting to discuss about atrocities on the SCs and STs in Mangalore taluk, presided over by Assistant Commissioner Prabhuling Kavalikatti.

M.A. Naik, president of Marathi Sangha, accused a city college of causing delay in releasing financial aid to a student. The city corporation annually gave Rs. 2,000 as assistance to each student. Every year, the college received a cheque for the total amount of aid of the SC/ST students in the college in December. “The college has been keeping the amount with it and releasing it only around April,” he said.

Mr. Naik objected to the way the college was keeping applications for financial aid pending by claiming applicants had higher family income. “The applications have to be scrutinised by the Social Welfare Department. The college has to just forward the applications it receives,” Mr. Naik said. Students were being sent away by the college management if they asked about the status of their applications, he added.

Mr. Kavalikatti said surprise visits would be made to institutions to look into the process related to the financial aid.

No college management was allowed to keep the applications pending, he said.

Scholarship

Jinappa Bangera from the Dalita Hitarakshana Vedike alleged that there was considerable delay in releasing scholarships to students who had their accounts in banks other than the State Bank of India or State Bank of Mysore.

Mangalore Taluk Social Welfare Officer Reddy Naik said the delay was because of the time taken by the State Bank of India officials in entering the code that facilitates inter-bank funds transfer. “They have expressed difficulty in transfer of funds. We have issued instructions to new applicants to open their accounts in SBI/SBM banks,” he said.

Ramesh Kotian, district convenor of the Dalita Sangharsha Samiti (Dr. Ambedkar Vada), said the delay at the taluk office in getting SC/ST certificates and other records from the records room. “We have to wait for five hours even for enquiry,” he said.