Hundreds of students deprived of 'Swadhaar'

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Under the Swadhaar Scholarship Scheme run by the Social Welfare Department for needy students from the Scheduled Castes, the first instalment has been deposited into the accounts of some students.

However, out of the thousands of applications submitted at the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar District Social Welfare Office, only 1,500 applications have been approved, leaving hundreds of students still deprived of the benefit.

While some student applications were accepted by the Social Welfare Department directly, others were approved at the college level.

Even as the second-semester examinations are drawing to a close, many eligible students have yet to receive their Swadhaar scholarship amount. Although officials claim that sufficient funds are available for the scheme, students are unhappy due to delays in implementation.

Social activist Vijaykumar Mokale Karanjgaonkar, Secular Republican Federation's Deepak Khillare, Avinash Dongare, Pritesh Dhandar, Kamal Mokale and several students questioned Assistant Commissioner of the Social Welfare Department Ravindra Shinde over the matter. Shinde assured that the Swadhaar scheme amount would be deposited into the accounts of all eligible students by May 14.