For the last three years, Gauri Waghmare has religiously finished all the paperwork necessary to avail of the Rs 3,000 yearly scholarship her daughter Nikita, 15, is eligible for.
Gauri, a resident of the Gandhinagar slums in Pimpri, works as a contract sweeper with the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. All children of waste pickers are eligible for the scholarship under the centrally-sponsored Pre-Matric Scholarship of the Children of those Engaged in Occupation involving Cleaning and Prone To Health Hazards. In 2018, the Centre announced an increase in the amount from Rs 1,850 to Rs 3,000 per year.
However, all the paperwork has been in vain — Nikita has not received the scholarship in the last three years. “The amount might not sound very big but for us, every penny counts. This would have helped my daughter,” said Gauri, the family’s sole breadwinner as her husband is presently unemployed.
“Why announce something which would not be executed?” she asked.
Nikita is one of the 2,579 children of waste pickers in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad who are eligible for the scholarship but have not received it for the last three years. Since this scholarship was instituted, the waste picker union Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat has ensured the paperwork is done meticulously.
The forms that need to be filled out by students and endorsed by the head teacher of the schools where the children are studying are then submitted to the zilla parishad, which then distributes the scholarship once the funds are received from the social welfare commissionerate. The scholarship is given to students till Class 10.
But since 2020, the scholarship has eluded the students. Aditya Vyas, union secretary, said they continuously followed up with various offices, but they have yet to hear anything.
“We have been filing the forms yearly but the money is not realised. We have students who have finished their Class 10 but have yet to get the scholarship,” he said. The total amount of scholarship pending in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, as per the union, is Rs 77.37 lakh.
Ranjana Mahavir’s 12-year-old son, Harsh, studies in a private school, and the Rs 3,000 would have helped her ease her financial burden. Ranaja has been working as a waste picker for more than 14 hours to ensure her son’s education is not interrupted.
“We filed forms and followed up with officers- but nothing came out of it,” she said.
Chitra Kamble’s son Ayush is in Class 8 at a private school and it takes all the savings of Chitra and her husband Raju to ensure the child’s education is not interrupted. Raju works as a waste segregator while Chitra goes to work as domestic help in nearby houses. Chitra has given the forms several times but has yet to get the money.
Most of the children are first-generation learners, and thus, their parents try their best to ensure they get an education. Some do double jobs while trying to save every penny to pay for their education. “The scholarship was constituted for us, so it should be given to us,” he said.
Vyas said they had followed up on the matter with Social Welfare Commissioner Om Prakash Bakoria, who had immediately directed all the zilla parishads in the state to distribute the money.
However, Vyas said their members have yet to get the money. “Waste pickers and children can call on Chief Minister and Social Justice Minister Eknath Shinde to prioritise the timely release of scholarships, ensuring that the children can continue their education without disruption or else they will be forced to hit the streets in pursuit of justice,” he said.
The union has planned to take out a march on December 5 to press for their demand. When contacted, Bakoria said he would look into the matter immediately.
Since 2020, the scholarship has eluded the students. Aditya Vyas, union secretary, said they continuously followed up with various offices, but they have yet to hear anything. (Representational/ File) 
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