By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net,
Rohtak/Srinagar: The Plight of the 13 Kashmiri students studying in Rohtak Institute of Engineering and Management (RIEM) who were expelled last month over non-payment of promised Scholarship under Prime Minister Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) remains uncertain.
A week ago, students were permitted by the college management to resume the classes but were desisted from availing hostel facility.
Group of 13 Kashmiri students who are putting up in rented accommodation as the students are desisted from availing hostel facility over nonpayment of scholarship by government.
It is important to mention here that the concerned issue of expulsion of 13 students from Kashmir in RIEMS was highlighted by national and international media but no step has been initiated by Ministry of Human Resource (MHRD) till date to address the issue.
“These students were recruited through some NGOs. When they were recruited for this college, it was not under the requisition of the AICTE,” Priya Sethi, MoS for Education, J&K, had earlier said.
The 13 students have threatened to go on hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, if their demand of promised scholarship is not compensated to the college authorities.
“Enough is enough! We won’t let anybody compromise with our studies it is now government’s responsibility because they have promised us scholarship. If our scholarship is not released at earliest we will sit on hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi,” said Nasir Ahmed Sofi, one of the13 Kashmiri students.
Sofi, who is a resident of Central Kashmir, Budgam District told Twocircles.net, “We were expelled from the college last month and although later the college authorities compromised and asked us to resume our classes after much media hype to the issue but we were not allowed to stay in the hostel and we had to arrange alternative accommodation on our own.”
All the 13 Kashmiri students after expulsion from college are putting up in a rented accommodation in Prem Nagar area of Rohtak city.
As exams are near the corner, one of the student is busy in cooking food for the whole group of students.
“We have rented three rooms with each room occupied by four students. How can four persons study in such a congested room? We have been suffering since last two months and we are not able to concentrate on our studies,” said Tariq Abdullah, another Kashmiri student who hails from District Anantnag.
Another student, Zahoor Ahmed Mir, from Kupwara, who belongs to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), a scheme for poorest of poor families, told TwoCircles.net, “We belong to very poor families and some among us have badly suffered economically due to September floods. Every month, we have to pay 14000 rupees as rent excluding food charges. Each one of us has to pay additional 4500 rupees for food which grossly adds to 58500 rupees for thirteen students. How can a person who belongs to poorest of poor manage a month sum of six thousand for living?”
The students asserted that they left Kashmir with a hope to achieve a brighter future after government announced PMSSS post mass uprising of 2010 as an effort to help Kashmiri student in getting admission in reputed colleges of India. However students are going through excruciation due to nonpayment of promised amount to the concerned colleges.
“We left our home to gain better studying opportunities but to our dismay we are left in lurch as none from Human resource Ministry has come to sort out this issue and release the pending scholarships against our names,” Said Ishfaq Bashir, another student, who hails from Sopore.
These students claimed that their papers are scheduled in mid of May and they have only joined 20 percent of lectures in classes reason being attributed to expulsion, first from hostel and later from college.
The students explained that the college authorities have clearly instructed them that they can join the remaining lectures of the present semester, for further semester, they will be allowed only if they pay the decided sum which was initially agreed at 20000 rupees per semester exclusively for these students.
“If we could have such resources to pay the sum then why would we have come on scholarship quota? Government is playing with our future and shattering our dreams,” said Peerada Amir, adding that if government had to do this in middle of our degree courses then we would have preferred some other stream back in Kashmir.
It is pertinent to mention here that, Prime Minister Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) was launched by UPA-II after the 2010 massive uprising, as an effort to help Kashmiri students in getting admissions in reputed colleges of India.
Due to Shortage of rooms, four to five students have to accommodate and study in single room.
The scheme since its inception has been riddled in several scams, with almost not transparency and inclusion of several mediators and NGOs led to massive embezzlement of funds meant for scholarship of selected students.
Various assurances from state and central government to clean up the mess in Prime Minister Special Scholar Ship (PMSSS) has turned futile as no major step has been initiated in this regard.