PMC fixes income criterion for Class X,XII scholarship scheme

As per the scheme,the PMC is to provide Rs 15,000 a year to those who score 80 per cent and above in Class X and Rs 25,000 to those scoring as much in Class XII.

In a proposal tabled by the women and child welfare committee to continue the scholarship scheme,the civic administration said the scheme was reviewed since it completed five years last year.

“It has been observed in the review that some families were taking benefit of the scheme even though there was no need for them to do so. The needy students were getting less financial assistance than necessary because the number of beneficiaries were increasing,” said municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak in the proposal.

The best-of-five formula for Class X has also increased the number of beneficiaries,he said,adding that this has been increasing the financial burden on the civic body. “There is need to put an eligibility criterion for beneficiaries so that only the needy citizens get the benefit. The PMC has set the eligibility criterion of beneficiaries of all its financial assistance scheme at Rs 1 lakh annual income. But,there was no such limit for the scholarship scheme. So,those from families with an annual income of Rs six lakh and below should be made eligible for the scheme,” Pathak said.

The Indian Express had highlighted the rise in expenditure of the civic body due to failure to put an eligibility criterion for the scheme with regards to the annual income of the family. In response,civic activists had alleged that the corporators were using the scheme for self promotion by putting their banners appealing citizens to approach them and apply for scholarship.

It was pointed out that the civic body had to spend more than the actual budgetary allocation for the scheme,as the PMC had to shell out Rs 14.34 crore last year,as against the provision of Rs 8 crore. Thus,the civic activists urged to raise the criterion of 80 per cent to 90 per cent for beneficiaries along with recommending income criteria limit.