Zaffer Iqbal
Uri (Baramulla), Apr 6: (GNS) Scores of students in frontier Uri town have been caught at the wrong end in the aftermath of washing down of nearly sixty-lac scholarship amount even as Education and Revenue Departments seemingly playing a blame-game for the amiss.
The elapsed amount, as per a reliable source, involves three educational zones – Uri, Boniyar and Chandwari – where each of the zones’ has failed to avail 31 lacs, 14 lacs sixty thousand and 13 lac eighty six thousand rupees respectively.
A Zonal Education Office employee at zone Uri told Global News Service (GNS) that all the schools falling in the zone concerned had submitted the documents well in time in the office of Tehsildar concerned for authentication, however the latter’s office, as per the office bearer, allegedly didn’t authenticated the documents leading to lapse of funds. “The Tehsildar concerned has not even returned back the list of Pahari-speaking students submitted to him authentication”, he alleged.
“The students in the zone could not fetch even a single penny despite completion of all formalities well in time”, he said.
When contacted Zonal Education Officer Boniyar, Mohammad Hussain Lone while talking to Global News Service (GNS) said that they had received around fourteen lac sixty thousand rupees for Pahari students in year 2020, however they could only disburse four thousand due to refusal for authentication of documents by the revenue department officials.
“The matter has been appraised to the higher-ups and we expect a response soon”, the official said.
Meanwhile the locals taking an exception on the conundrum said that if their children are entitled to the scholarship and had been receiving the same over the years now, why it has been made a matter of contention. “We want the authorities to look into the matter at the earliest for its disposal”, a local said.
When contacted Tehsildar Boniyar Peer Zahid Ahmad, who holds additional charge of Uri as well, told Global News Service (GNS) that the beneficiaries have not followed the due procedure vis-à-vis Pahari-speaking certificates. “I already had conveyed it to Education department in writing that it was not possible for us authenticate the list without proper procedure”, the official maintained.
Alleging the Education Department for the ‘fault’, the official said that “The issue of lapsing of funds is fault of Education Department only” adding that “It is the responsibility of them only to convey the students of the required procedure to avail the benefits of the scholarship.” (GNS)
