In a concerning revelation, approximately 53% of institutions operating within the minority scholarship programme have been identified as fake or non-operational. Following that, of 1572 institutions, a total number of 830 were found to fall into this category, raising serious questions about the integrity of the programme.
The gravity of the situation is further seen by the fact that these fraudulent institutions managed to successfully claim scholarships for fake beneficiaries.
In a tweet by Dr.Pushpa Kini, she wrote "And our tax money goes for these scholarships.." in response to this revelation.
Taking a closer look at the state-wise breakdown of the findings reveals the extent of the issue. In Chhattisgarh, all 62 scrutinized institutions were determined to be fake or non-operational. Following that, Rajasthan saw 99 out of 128 institutions falling into the same category.
The situation in Assam is particularly shocking, with a whopping 68% of institutions turning out to be fake. Karnataka follows closely, with 64% of institutions found to be fake.
In Uttar Pradesh, 44% of institutions were flagged as fake, further underscoring the widespread nature of the problem. Similarly, West Bengal witnessed 39% of its institutions being identified as fake.
The disclosure of these findings not only raises concerns about the misuse of funds and resources but also underscores the urgent need for stronger mechanisms to prevent such malpractices within scholarship programmes.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here.  To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
