By IANS
New Delhi : A government decision not to allot scholarships for Scheduled Castes school students getting below 60 percent marks to pursue professional courses has sparked a row that two ministers have been told to resolve.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar have been asked to draft a compromise after some ministers clashed with Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, who opposes the new scheme, informed sources said.
Meira Kumar’s ministry deals with what is called the post-matric scholarship scheme. The marks criterion has been incorporated in the 11th Plan that extends from 2007-08 to 2011-12.
But with Scheduled Castes students up in arms over the new rule in Tamil Nadu, where admissions into professional courses are made on the basis of marks, Ramadoss wanted Meira Kumar to scrap the percentage ceiling.
The matter came up for discussion at Thursday’s cabinet meeting but yielded no results.
“The government has now asked Chidambaram and Meira Kumar to sort out the matter soon,” an official in her ministry told IANS.
Ramadoss wrote to Kumar Feb 5 stating that the “restrictions put on the implementation of the scheme has resulted in modifying the scheme into a merit based (one), which would badly affect the Scheduled Castes students and deprive them of an opportunity to pursue higher education.
“The government scholarships are the lifeline for these oppressed class students and fixing 60 percent marks for availing the benefit amounts to putting an end to their dream for pursuing higher education,” he added.
As a result, Meira Kumar’s ministry prepared a note for the withdrawal of the marks criterion. But the cabinet did not take up the matter.
Informed sources said the idea to scrap the ceiling did not go down well with some ministers.
The ministry meets almost the entire expenses of a Scheduled Castes student pursuing a professional course in a private college.
The ministry official said: “The ceiling was to ensure that students admitted under the management quota have some merit to avail scholarships. The move would have also ensured effective utilisation of such management seats.”
As on Dec 31, 2007, Meira Kumar’s ministry has released over Rs.8 billion to 29 states and union territories, of which Rs.695 million went to Tamil Nadu.