Terming the recently proposed 60:40 fund-sharing pattern of the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry for the SC Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme as "totally inadequate", Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday demanded the restoration of the old fund sharing scheme.
"Against approximately Rs 75 crore, which the state would have been required to pay under the old sharing formula, it would now have to shell out around Rs 300 crore as its share of the scheme. The resultant burden on states was huge," an official statement quoted Chief Minister Singh as saying.
Singh pointed out that he had, on June 15 written to Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot seeking review of the guidelines of the proposed new funding pattern.
By fixing its share in the scheme at only 60 per cent, instead of the earlier about 90 per cent, the Central government had failed to address the concerns of the states with regard to this crucial matter, the Chief Minister said.
According to the statement, the Chief Minister has urged the Central government to withdraw its proposal.
"While the state government is totally committed to providing free education to SC students under the scholarship scheme, and is ready to bear the entire cost of it, it is shameful on the part of the Centre to wriggle out of its responsibility," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )